Arcane Chaos
by Kronium345
Summary: A boy who leads a dark path, different than his siblings. Cut off from familial ties at a young age, he seeks power. Power to protect himself and those he cares about. This ambition, this greed, will drive him to great lengths to attain this power and become a maelstrom in the world of gods, monsters and demigods. Son of Poseiden! OC. Harem. Somewhat Dark!/Grey OC. Godlike! OC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

Markus Henderson was chilling out under Williamsburg Bridge, content with his homeless lifestyle. Oh yeah, he forgot to mention that part: he was homeless.

He was lying down in his worn out (and dirty) sleeping bag, watching the deep black sky. The clouds were twisting and churning, crackling with energy as it drizzled heavily. He never did like the rain. Some people found it calming in different ways. He just didn't like it because it got him soaked all over.

His scraggy black tee-shirt and grey jeans were weary and beaten down. His messy black hair and sea green eyes showed signs of misery and survival instinct: honed from his five years of defending himself from supposed "hoodlums" and "gangbangers"(and no, not _those_ kind of gangbangers. Dirty minds). Now all that he was thinking about was which dumpster he could find his next meal and what shops to steal from.

Apparently, the reason he was homeless was because his mother died when he was seven years old. Yeah, tragic story that. All he could remember was her saving him from a horde of monsters, ripped straight from several horror books he used to read when he was younger.

He remembered screaming for his mum, for her to help me, to run, to do just about anything except confront the monsters. His house was destroyed, his mum dead, his world destroyed. Yeah, typical orphan drama.

Now he was miserable, depressed and paranoid from living on the streets. He couldn't go to an orphanage; they'd just mock him for his loss. He didn't dare go to the police about this. One word of monsters and they'd whip him up to an asylum or a mental care hospital. So that left him the option of living on the streets. It wasn't all bad; he learned how to steal, how to fight(he didn't think watching several thugs brawl counted as that but whatever) and more importantly, how the world worked.

No one was willing to help a kid survive. It was supposedly survival of the fittest out here. And he was content with that. He eventually learned the rules out here(with some harrowing experiences but they still helped) and adapted to them. He figured out how to work out a system to live properly out here. And it has worked so far for him.

That system became broken when he heard hissing. Markus thought it was some snake, but immediately alarm bells went off in his head, and he knew this was no mere snake. The slithering got louder and he turned to see a woman that was ten feet tall. She had green scaly skin with black hair and wore armour. Like old fashioned armour from medieval times or something. She even had a shield and spear. Instead of legs she had twin sepent trunks, which seemed out of place on her.

"I found you, half-blood." The demonic looking woman hissed at the young boy.

"Uh, wassup?" Markus said, not really knowing what to say to the creepy ass woman. Seriously, who let this thing out of its cage?

The snake-like woman looked confused, like it wasn't used to this type of reaction when coming into contact with her. "Are you mocking me, little godling?" she hissed out.

Godling? he wondered. Markus was wondering if he was delusional, or somehow ate something bad from one of his dumpster raids. It was entirely possible.

"Uh, no?" He made it sound like a question, because he sure as hell didn't know. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as the snake lady slithered up closely for a second.

Markus had time to blink before he rolled out of his sleeping bag, letting it get impaled by the snake lady's spear. Now he had two things going on in his head: one; she's freaking fast! And two; I'm going to avenge my old sleeping bag, you monster!

Markus cried out and dodged as she went for a second swing for her spear. He wondered how he wasn't skewered yet. "Get back here, half-blood! Let me take your head!" she demanded, stabbing the spear into the ground as Markus ducked and rolled out of her thrusts.

He was thankfully given enough time to move, as she had to pull her spear out of the ground before aiming again. His heart was pounding in his ears, as he wondered what the hell was going on! Markus was able to come up with an idea, a crazy idea but still an idea. While the snake-lady got her spear stuck in the ground, Markus leaped out, lashing a kick, striking the woman in her chest plate.

While this did end up with his leg throbbing from pain (what the hell was he thinking, kicking armour like that?), this did startle her. Following up with that, he shouldered her, tackling her down and leaving him with the spear still lodged in the ground. Great, now his leg and shoulder hurt like a bitch.

Nevertheless, he tried yanking her spear out of the ground with some difficulty. Eventually, he succeeded. While the spear was heavy in his hands, and he never used an actual weapon in his life, he stabbed at it, her, whatever. The spear got lodged in her chest, and the snake-lady shrieked an ugly yell of pain.

He tried not taking satisfaction from that, but he couldn't stop the wide grin spreading across his face at the pain he caused her. That happy feeling he felt quickly ebbed away when the bitch hadn't died yet. She struck, bashing her shield into his stomach. Markus doubled over in pain, berating himself for forgetting about her damned shield. She tried going for another strike, but he rolled away, despite his apparent pain everywhere.

When he was able to concentrate properly, she had got her spear dislodged. While he again berating himself for not stabbing harder, where he stabbed her spear on chest, there was gold dust leaking out of her, rather than blood. Hell, she was still dripping gold dust from where her wound was.

"Now you die, boy!" she roared in rage. He just had time to hear that threat before she lunged. Markus dodged, as his senses went haywire, like he could see so much more than he usually did. Despite his numbness, he could tell how the thing was moving and how to get out in time. It seemed her injury seemed to be weighing her down. He could say the same thing however. If it weren't for that stab wound the bitch had, he'd probably be dead by now.

When the creature made another lunge, Markus ducked, then stumbled, tripping over his feet and landing in the East River nearby. While this would normally be disadvantageous in a battle, that wasn't the case for him. When his body touched the water, it felt like he was re-energized, like he got several adrenaline boosts many times over.

Markus pondered on why he felt like this, he never really had any incidents where he felt like this in water. Even his previous injuries from before somehow have healed. He didn't know how any of this occurred. He did know one thing though. That snake bitch was going to pay. Feeling a fire boiling in his stomach, Markus re-emerged from the river. He leaped up, still brimming with his adrenaline-filled high. When he looked back again at the snake-lady, she seemed almost….frightened.

Markus grinned in return.

"You are _hisssss_ ssssson?" she hissed angrily and fearfully. Markus didn't know what she was talking about or whose son he was, but he ignored it. With a roar he jumped, kicking out with both feet and slamming into her shield, breaking it and leaving her open. He then yanked her spear from her and (properly this time) stabbed her through her chest, right where his previous attack was.

She shrieked again, this time in pain, and exploded in gold, gear included. After a moment his senses went back to normal and his adrenaline-filled high left him. He collapsed, his body feeling dead tired. He groaned, this time in exhaustion. His vision started swimming. He felt like passing out. Markus didn't know how what happened actually _did_ happen, or why the snake-lady exploded into gold dust, but he didn't care. He couldn't just pass out on the street, being vulnerable when some thug or, even worse, a police officer came. So he started shuffling towards the river, intent on getting stronger again.

He didn't know why he felt such towards it, but he did know that he couldn't just lie there. It seemed crazy, but so did being attacked by a supposed hallucination in the form of a snake-lady. He crawled towards the river, his strength leaving him with each movement made. When he got to the bank of the river, he couldn't keep his eyes opened. Eventually, mumbling, "Screw it," he tumbled in the water, being revitalized but also sleepy at the same time. With the thought of hopefully arriving to safety, he slowly closed his eyes, the water taking him away.

He came to when his back hit solid, muddy ground. His feet were still in the shore, but he didn't know _which_ shore. He didn't even know where he was. Slowly opening his eyes, Markus could tell the air was muggy, like it was the middle of summer. Much warmer than his sleeping bag and living space had been. Yep, and it had rained too, he could tell.

He craned his neck, which hurt to do so, and almost saw a pine tree in the distance. He was wondering where he was when he heard the sound of running and galloping, followed by some voice.

"Chiron, there's someone out there, near the shore!" a male voice called out, sounding older.

Fortunately, his (hopefully) rescuer gingerly picked him up.

"Where…", he mumbled then stopped abruptly, still feeling exhausted. He felt the guy holding him started running. He looked to see where they were going towards a big blue house.

Markus looked at his saviour and saw a pair of icy blue eyes staring back at him. The black edges of his vision engulfed him, and that was the last thing he saw.

 **Hello, readers and reviewers! This is Kronium345 here with a new story! This is something that I've had swimming in my head and I wanted to put it down. So this is a Percy Jackson and the Olympians fanfiction with an OC! It's not something I've seen a lot, or at all in fact. So I just wanted to try this. So this is a harem fanfiction, though I've not confirmed who will be in it. The title of the fic will come into play later, don't worry. I'll hopefully update soon, but we'll see.**

 **Read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Markus was wondering when his supposed madness would end. First dealing with a snake-lady. Then killing said snake-lady and her (or it, he still hadn't confirmed it yet) disappearing in gold dust. Then he was transported to God knows where by a river. And finally he was rescued, or kidnapped, by some guy with blue eyes.

But that wasn't enough. He now was experiencing one of the most weirdest dreams yet.

There was a golden eagle and white horse fighting. It involved lots of screeching and slashing talons from the eagle and whining and bucking from the horse.

He didn't want to see either animal fighting; not because he cared which one killed itself. But he just wanted to wake up from all this and go back to being homeless, which wasn't something you heard normally.

Thankfully Markus woke up a few times before going back to unconsciousness. He remembered being spoon-fed something that tasted like warm strawberry cheesecake, but like pudding. He briefly saw a girl with curly blond hair with odd grey eyes hovered over him, wiping stray bits from his chin.

When she saw Markus' eyes open, she said, "You look the same as the other one. Almost like brothers." An odd statement to someone who just woke up. Then she asked, "Well since he didn't know, maybe you can help. What will happen at the summer solstice?"

It sounded more like an interrogation. So Markus replied accordingly, "What?" His voice was croaky and his eyes were blinking to adjust to the natural lighting in the room.

The blond looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"I don' know 'thing." The young boy mumbled while trying, and failing, to sit up. The girl gently pushed Markus back down, even while he struggled.

"Relax, you're safe." She told him genuinely.

Markus didn't believe her, but was unable to protest or fight back. He could feel exhaustion creeping up to him and blackness soon followed.

He awoke again some time later, the girl gone but replaced by a husky blond guy, dressed like a surfer. He stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over him. He had blue eyes- Markus focused his eyes and found out he had a dozen of them- on his cheeks, his forehead, even the backs of his hands.

Markus didn't even find it weird enough to call him out on it. He again felt sleep demanding his attention.

When he finally came around for good, there was no weirdness surrounding him anymore and he saw a window was by her side. Outside of it, she gazed across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The window was open to allow some breeze in.

Markus yawned, clicking his tongue and felt like his mouth got stuck in a desert. I t was incredibly dry. While he looked around, he found out he was in another infirmary. On the table next to him sat a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a yellow straw through a red cherry.

He looked at it cautiously, his instincts honed from the previous years acting up. But his gut was saying otherwise and eventually, his gut won out.

He reached out towards it, his hand feeling weak at first. He managed to not drop it. Then he moved his mouth enough so he could reach the straw.

Markus took a tiny sip, and recoiled slightly. It tasted like strawberry cheesecake, just liquefied. He eagerly sipped more of it, drinking greedily. Markus felt a bundle of energy build up from the drink. He felt like he could bench press a truck. He enjoyed more of the strawberry goodness.

After finishing drinking, he put the glass back onto the table, before removing the blanket and swinging his legs to the side. Markus started stretched, getting the kinks all out of his body. After that, he tried to walk but wobbled at first.

He put on his sneakers and immediately checked his pockets. His stolen loose change was still there, as well as his lighter (which he swiped off some guy from before). He didn't know how they stayed in his pockets, especially after all the shit he went through, but he wasn't complaining.

As he left the infirmary, he found himself on a porch, he looked onto the beautiful scene that he viewed from the window. The image almost took his breath away. He wasn't into scenery that much, but even he could see that it was peaceful.

There were a couple of lounge chairs and tables spread across the porch. A boy occupied one of them. He was about his age with short black hair and gloomy green eyes. That stopped him short. He remembered that blond girl from before, briefly telling him about a boy who looked almost like him, like brothers.

He didn't dwell on that thought too much. He wasn't keen on meeting a supposed long lost brother anyway, after what happened to his mum.

Markus continued studying the boy. He saw a shoebox that had a jagged white and black horn.

Markus also saw that he was talking to another boy with curly brown hair. He briefly listened in on their conversation. "It wasn't your fault," his look-alike said.

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you," said the curly brown haired boy. Markus saw him leaning against the porch railing, looking utterly exhausted. He wore blue jeans, some Converse hi-tops and an orange tee-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD.

Okay, so he seemed to be at some kind of special camp. Markus still didn't know why he appeared here. And the word half-blood; he recalled the snake-lady from before call him the same thing also.

So, what? Was it some kind of racist label group or something? And the penalty was to send some freak-shows after each 'half-blood'? Damn, that was brutal.

"Did my mum ask you to protect me?"

"No, but that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least…I was."

"But why…" the look-alike boy asking, suddenly sounding woozy. Markus easily eavesdropped, feeling no shame in doing so.

"Don't strain yourself," the curly haired boy said. "Here." He held the glass to the boy's lips.

"Hi," Markus greeted casually, easily hiding the awkwardness he felt.

Understandably surprised, the curly haired boy let a strange nervous bleating noise, like a goat. Markus smiled in return. "You shouldn't even be standing," he said in a shocked voice, like he's never seen someone recover so quickly. He looked at the other boy, studying him properly. Huh, he looked kind of scrawny. Markus almost chuckled at that.

"Hey, I'm a big boy, I can handle myself," he replied. "Some stupid snake-lady can't say otherwise. More importantly, where are we?"

"It'll be explained in a bit," Curly answered, which didn't satisfy Markus. "I'm Grover, nice to meet you, uh?" He struggled to reply at that.

"Markus," said boy replied. "So, Grover, huh?"

"Hey, is he camper here?" the green eyed boy asked.

"He's new, like you. He just appeared on the shore of the river. Markus, this is Percy Jackson."

"Charmed." Markus said to the other boy.

"Likewise," he replied.

So, can you tell me what happened?" Grover asked.

"Well I was sleeping outside, when all of a sudden, a freaky snake lady attacked me with a spear. Luckily, I managed to kill it before washing up on the shore," Markus summed up.

"You killed a dracanae? With no training?" Grover asked, his voice a little awed. Markus wished he could bask in the praise, but he knew if it weren't for certain factors, he'd be dead. But he didn't tell him that.

"Uh, yeah," he said, his voice hiding any hesitation. "Wait what's a draca-whatever you just said?"

"Drac-an-ae," Grover pronounced for him, though didn't give any explanation. Markus wanted to ask more, but decided against it. He figured he'd be told later on.

"Listen, uh, could you see if you got any more of that medicine you have?" he asked. He didn't think he really needed any of it, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

"Nectar," Grover corrected. "But sure, I'll get it. You two just relax."

He then walked out, into the house and leaving Markus with a boy who he didn't know and was bound to become an awkward situation.

"We look like each other," Percy said to him, trying to start a conversation.

Markus rolled his eyes. "Wow, great way to start a conversation. Just go up to a person and say 'We look just like each other.'" He made sure to say that part mockingly. He didn't mean to be rude, but he was just so curios, and lost, as to what the hell was going on that he just snapped a bit.

Percy frowned a little at his answer. "Sorry, just asking. It's not every day you see someone who looks like you, like-"

"Brothers," Markus finished, his mouth set in a scowl as he finished that thought. It wasn't that he had a problem if this guy was his (possible) brother, but after losing his mum, he'd been used to being all alone. Sure, the thought would be nice, but he wasn't jumping for joy at the thought.

Then he replied, "Sorry, it's just, all of this is making me go a little crazy, you know?"

Percy then nodded with a tiny smile, "Yeah, I'm a bit weirded out too, so I can understand."

"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's a bit clueless."

They both laughed as Grover came back with the nectar. He gave it to both black haired kids snacking on the 'liquid goodness'. It was delicious.

When they finished, Grover asked, "Was it good?"

Markus simply nodded while Percy spoke, "It was amazing." He said with slight bliss.

"What did it taste like?" he asked, sounding wistful.

Markus was wondering why Grover didn't take any for himself.

"Sorry," Percy said. "I should've let you taste."

Grover's eyes went wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just… wondered."

"Strawberry cheesecake for me," Markus told him.

"Chocolate-chip cookies," Percy said. "My mum's.

Homemade." Markus mentally sighed at that. He had a flashback of his mum making him chocolate-chip cookies when he was very young. The thought made his heart ache.

Grover sighed. "And how do you two feel?"

"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards." Percy answered.

"Who?" Markus asked.

"A bully in my old school." Percy answered him.

"Oh, I'd just punch her in the face; much easier that way."

"Tell me about it."

"Anyway," Markus said, continuing from where the conversation left off, "I feel like I could run a full marathon and not feel tired."

Grover nodded. "That's good. That's good. I don't think you should risk drinking any more of that stuff."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked in confusion.

Markus frowned. "Yeah, I mean shouldn't we finish the whole of this nectar to fully affect us?"

Grover didn't answer and took the cups gingerly, as though they were dynamite. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."

Percy's legs were wobbly when trying to walk. Grover offered to carry his Minotaur horn, but Percy said he'd carry it, looking stern.

As they came onto the opposite end of the house, Markus caught his breath. He'd already seen some of the beauty the place he was staying in was beautiful, but now it seemed absolutely breath-taking.

The valley that came into view rolled all the way up to the water. It seemed to almost glitter in the distance. Markus seemed unable to process of all this. The landscape was dotted with small buildings that looked like Ancient Greek architecture, with an open-air pavilion, an amphitheatre, and a circular arena. The strange thing was that they all looked brand new, the bright white columns shining in the sun.

In a nearby sandspit, many high school kids and satyrs- which was cool since Markus hasn't seen one before, apart from Grover- were playing volleyball. Canoes glided across a lake. Kids in bright orange tee-shirts were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins below. Some shot targets at archery ranges. Others rode horses- which had wings- down a wooded trail. Markus was shocked at the appearance of what looked to be a Pegasus.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blonde haired girl who'd spoon-fed him strawberry cheesecake-flavoured pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them.

The man facing them was small, but plump. He had a red nose, watery eyes and curly hair so black it seemed purple. He looked like your average gambler, yet Markus had a feeling that he could outsmart even the most serious gambler. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt.

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And Percy already knows Chiron…"

He pointed at the guy who had their back to them.

The first thing Markus noticed about Chiron was that he was sitting in a wheelchair. He wore a tweed jacket, thinning brown hair, a scraggly beard. Percy recognized him easily.

"Mr. Brunner!" he cried out. Markus stared at him, wondering why he was shouting. Also, he seemed to try and remember where he heard the name Chiron before.

The man looked at them with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"Ah, good, Percy," he said, before turning to Markus. "And you must be Markus Henderson. Excellent, now we have four for pinochle." He gestured for the kids to sit down, so they did.

Percy sat next to Mr. D, who looked at them with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"Charmed," Markus replied sarcastically, liking the man even less. If you were a camp director, you could at least _try_ act pleasant.

"Uh, thanks." Percy said as he scooted a little farther away from him.

"Annabeth," Chiron called to the blond girl.

She came forward and was introduced. "This young lady nursed you both back to health. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's and Markus' bunk? We'll be putting them in cabin eleven."

"Sure, Chiron," Annabeth said. She looked around the boys' age, a little taller, and seemed more athletic looking. With her deep tan and curly blond hair, exactly like a stereotypical California girl. Except her eyes ruined the image. They were grey, like storm clouds. They had a confident look in them that Markus could respect. All in all, she definitely seemed like a cute, almost pretty girl.

Annabeth glanced at the Minotaur horn in Percy's hands, then back at him. Then she shifted his eyes towards Markus, like she was expecting something from him.

Then she said to both of them, "Both of you drool in your sleep."

Markus balked at that. He didn't expect that to come out of her mouth. That was a secret he discovered when he woke up in his bed at five, his mum cooing on how much he drooled.

His face burning with embarrassment at that particular memory, Markus quipped back, "And you suck at interrogating."

Annabeth scowled, as if his jab was offensive, but it was the truth. Percy cracked up, relieved that the focus wasn't on his (and mine) drooling habit.

Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.

"So," Percy said. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"

"Isn't his name Chiron, like the trainer of heroes from Greek mythology?" Markus queried.

The man gave Markus a smile. "That is true." Then to Percy, "Not Mr. Brunner. I'm afraid that was pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay," said Percy, sounding confused. Markus was there with him, but he seemed to ponder on something. Chiron, satyrs, Pegasus, Greek buildings. He had the pieces, all he needed was to put them together.

Percy then looked at the director. "And Mr. D… does that stand for something?"

Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at Percy as if he'd belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." He mumbled.

"I must say, Percy," Chiron broke in. "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."

"House call?" Percy asked while Markus listened.

"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools keeping a lookout. We were unable to find you, Markus, as you didn't attend any schools lately. Also, there was something blocking us from contacting you."

"What was blocking you?" Markus asked. He didn't know anything about blocking communication.

"I do not know. But it seems to be magical in nature. Some kind of protective ward of some sort."

"Wait, how did you know about me?" asked Percy, while Markus pondered on this new information.

"Grover alerted me as soon as he met you, Percy," Chiron replied. "He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to… ah, to take a leave of absence."

"Wait," Markus cut in. "How do _I_ fit into all this?"

Chiron frowned. "I do not know, Markus. If we were able to locate you, we would have retrieved you far sooner. But still, even without any training, you still performed well. Killing a dracanae? Most impressive." Markus smiled a bit at the praise.

"Nevertheless," Chiron continued on, "you both made it here alive. And that's always the first test."

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D asked abruptly.

"I'm not sure," Markus said.

"I'm not sure, sir," he said to the boy.

Not liking this guy's attitude, he decided to be a bit witty. "There's no need to call me sir, Mr. D," he responded back cheekily.

Percy laughed, amused by the whole debacle. Nice to know someone had a good sense of humour. Chiron merely smiled, also amused. Grover bleated nervously, as if Markus had committed a great crime. And Mr. D himself glared, his watery eyes turning a threatening shade of purple.

"Uh, how do you play, sir?" Percy asked, apparently saving Markus from being, presumably, chewed out.

"Well, at least one of you has manners," Mr. D replied, as if mocking Markus. "Well it, along gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, is one of the greatest games invented by humans. I would expect all civilised young men and women to know the rules."

"I'm sure the boys can learn," Chiron said.

"Alright hold up," Markus said, performing a time-out gesture. "Can we please talk about what's going on and why we're here?"

"Yeah, what he said," Percy agreed. "Mr. Brun-Chiron-why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"

Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question."

He then dealt the cards. Grover stood off to the side, nervous as can be. Chiron smiled sympathetically at the two boys. "Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?"

"She said," Percy responded, deep in thought. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father wanted to. She said that once I was here, I couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."

"Typical," Mr. D muttered. "That's how they're usually killed."

Chiron apparently didn't listen to what Mr. D said, and instead turned to Markus. "What about you, young man?"

Markus didn't really like being the centre of attention, but still replied. "Some… monsters attacked myself and my mum when I was five. I… I think that they were after me, weren't they?"

"Bingo," Mr. D replied unhelpfully.

Markus' whole world came crashing down. To think that his mum died because the monsters were after him pretty much shocked him, and filled him with regret. While, logically, he knew that it wasn't his fault, nor could he do anything, the idea seemed to break him a little.

Chiron gave him a sad smile. "I'm sorry for making you reveal personal information deep to yourself," he said comfortingly, but Markus wasn't listening, feeling numb.

He felt so out of place that he missed out on what was being said. When he slowly recovered, he managed to pick up the next sentence from Chiron. "Well, you two. You know that Grover is a satyr. You know-" here he pointed at the horn in Percy's hand "-that you killed a Minotaur. No small feat either, lad. What you may not know is that there are great forces at work in your life.

Gods- the forces you call Greek gods- are very much alive."

After that revelation, Markus was able to shift all he knew into place. All of that madness, because Greek mythology actually existed. He wanted to believe it was some sick joke, like the world wasn't real, like in the Matrix. Sadly, he understood with grim satisfaction that it wasn't.

All he heard was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage! Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up the points.

"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly. "If you're not going to eat it, can I have your Diet Coke can?"

"Eh? Oh, alright."

Grover bit a huge shard of the empty aluminium can and chewed it mournfully.

"Wait," Percy said. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."

"Well, now," Chiron said. "God-capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical." Markus pondered on that. He wasn't really the religious type. He kind of lost faith when he saw his mum die, and ended up living on the street. He guessed that made him an atheist.

"Metaphysical? But you just said-" Percy started, but Chiron cut him off.

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Mt. Olympus. That's a smaller matter altogether."

"Smaller?"

"It sounds less complicated than the Bible." Markus replied.

"Yes quite." Chiron said to both of the kids. "The gods we discussed in Latin class."

"Zeus," Percy said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."

And there it was again- distant thunder in a cloudless sky.

"Young man," frowned Mr. D. "I would be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."

"But they're stories," Percy said. "They're myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

Markus wondered why the camp director seemed offended by this. Then he began to think more on it, wondering if Mr. D himself… was a god. If so, Markus was disappointed.

"Science," he scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"-Percy flinched-"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals-they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at these boys and tell me."

"Percy," Chiron said, "You may not choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"

"It'd be boring," Markus interjected. After really thinking about it, immortality didn't really appeal to him. Sure the not dying part would be awesome, but living forever? It would be very dull. "Not really for me I guess."

Chiron smiled towards him. "An interesting viewpoint, Markus. One not many consider at first."

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not?" Percy said carefully.

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"

Markus glared at the man for that comment. Losing a mother wasn't anything to scoff at, especially them sacrificing themselves for you. He could tell Percy's mum would have done the same thing.

"I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods," Percy said.

"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."

Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe."

He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, and woven into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.

Percy's jaw dropped, Markus blinked in surprise, whereas Chiron hardly looked up.

"Mr. D," he warned. "your restrictions."

Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.

"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"

Thunder rumbled through the sky again.

Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.

Chiron winked at them. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who'd been declared off-limits."

"A wood nymph," Percy repeated, still staring at the can like it came from outer space.

"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years. The second time- well, she was really pretty, and I couldn't stay away- the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha. Absolutely unfair." He sounded like a whiny kid.

"And..." Percy stammered, "Your father is..."

"The old Thunderbeard himself," Markus replied. The sky gave off a far thunder boom, as if it heard his response. "Meaning you must be Dionysus, god of wine."

Mr. D gave a mocking clap. "Well, at least _one_ of you brats are smart enough. Can't say the same for the other one." He gestured to Percy.

"You're a god," Percy said.

"Yes, child."

"A god. You."

Mr. D gave this hardened stare and the boy cringed a little.

Markus turned towards Chiron. "Wait, he can't go into our minds, can he?" he asked, remembering that Dionysus is also the god of _madness._

Chiron shook his head and said no.

"Would you like to test me, child?" the god said quietly.

"No. No, sir." Percy stammered out, panic in his eyes.

He turned back to his game. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."

Mr. D narrowed his eyes at Chiron like he was going to incinerate Chiron, but instead he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to losing to him. He got up, and Grover stood at attention.

"I'm tired," Mr. D announced. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."

Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."

Mr. D turned to the two boys. "Cabin Eleven, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson. And mind your manners."

He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following after him.

"Well, he's a pleasant ray of sunshine," Markus muttered sarcastically once he left.

"Will Grover be okay?" Percy asked Chiron, looking concerned.

Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been... ah, grounded, I guess you could say, and can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed back on Olympus."

"You mean there really is a palace there?" Markus asked.

Chiron looked towards the two boys and said, "Well, now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, just as the gods do."

"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like... in America?" Percy asked, astounded.

"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."

"The what?" both kids asked, clueless on the statement.

Then Chiron gave a long explanation on how the West was actually 'Western civilization', and how it was a force that moved from place to place, where it eventually moved to America.

After that, Percy asked, "Who are you, Chiron? Who... who am I?"

Chiron smiled, while shifting his weight as if he were to get out of his wheelchair.

"Who are you?" he mused. "Well that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you both a bunk in Cabin Eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of times for lesson tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tomorrow tonight, and I absolutely adore chocolate."

And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about how he did it. His blanket over his legs seemed to stay in place, but his body from the waist kept rising. First, a leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. This was followed by another, then the hindquarters. Eventually, a white-bottomed centaur appeared out of the wheelchair, which was now a metal shell with fake human legs attached.

 _Well at least that answers the question on his horse-half,_ Markus told himself mentally.

"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson. Let's meet the other campers."

As they followed Chiron, Markus leaned in and whispered to Percy, "You go behind him first. I don't want to clean up any droppings that he makes.

 **Hello again, people! Another chapter uploaded! Now I just wanted to address a few things first: This story might follow the canon for a few bits and pieces, hence this chapter. I will sometimes deviate from canon though, don't worry.**

 **Next the harem list, I already have a few candidates listed, and they are:**

 **Annabeth**

 **Thalia**

 **Silena**

 **Katie**

 **That's what I have so far. There will be more in the future to be decided, don't worry. It will take a while, after all, the OC is twelve. So be patient.**

 **Lastly, this fic may tread between different pantheons. I'm not talking crossovers like with the Kane Chronicles or the Magnus Chase series( there will be mentions of them later in the story though) but actual different pantheons. It will all come to light later in the story also.**

 **Anyways, read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Both Markus and Percy had a nice tour, though they were careful not to walk behind the centaur. It seems Markus' warnings stuck to them both before.

They passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the Minotaur horn that Percy was carrying.

Another said, "That's him."

Others were pointing at Markus, whispering the same thing. It made him uncomfortable, not really liking being the centre of attention.

Most of the campers were older than them. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them wearing orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, nothing else covering their bare furry bottom halves. They all stared at the two black haired kids, like they were expected to do something.

When they got a better view of the farmhouse, it looked a lot bigger than expected. Four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. There was a brass eagle weather vane on top when something caught their eye, a shadow in the top window of the attic.

Something had moved the curtain quickly. Markus got a chill as though she was being watched.

"What's up there?" Percy asked Chiron, seeing the shadow too.

The centaur looked where the boy was pointing, and his smile faded. "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?"

"No," he said firmly. "Not a single living thing."

Chiron seemed unwilling to say anything more on the topic. "Come along you two," he said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. "Lots to see."

They walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe.

Chiron told them the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses," he explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort."

Apparently Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around.

Chiron explained, it worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.

They watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction. When Markus asked about how they did it, Chiron replied that they were using woodland magic, something only satyrs could do. This led to Markus to think of Grover, wondering how he was doing with the god of wine.

"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" Percy asked Chiron, bringing Markus out of his thoughts. "I mean… he was a good protector. Really."

Chiron sighed. He took off his tweed jacket and draped it over his horse-half's back like a saddle. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing them safely to Half-Blood Hill."

"But he did that!" Percy argued quickly.

"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it's not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate… ah… fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."

"He'll get a second chance, won't he?" Percy asked with guilt in his eyes, upset about his friend.

Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy."

"But he'll be OK, right?" Markus enquired. "I mean, whether he was unconscious or not, he still brought Percy here. I'm sorry about his mum"- here he sent Percy an apologetic glance- "but he still did his job, right?"

"I agree with you, Markus," Chiron said. "But still, Grover's fate isn't mine to decide."

Markus' brows knitted together in thought. "His first assignment… died, right?" he asked him, coming to that conclusion.

Chiron's long face was the only answer given. "Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age…"

"How old was he?" Percy wondered.

"Oh, twenty-eight." Chiron answered with a simple shrug.

Markus raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Wait, what?"

"And he's in sixth grade?" Percy exclaimed in mild shock."

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."

"That's horrible." Percy shuddered.

"I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Markus shivered at the thought.

"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career…"

"That's not fair," Percy said with a frown. "Was Markus right, did they…?" he trailed off.

Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?" he diverted, showing that it was likely true.

"Chiron," Percy spoke. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are real…"

"Yes, child?"

"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?" Percy asked in hopeful tone. Markus gave him a sad look. He wanted his mum back. He didn't blame him. After thinking of that possibility, Markus also wanted his mum back more than anything. But, he realized with grim acceptance, he doubted he'd be able to get her back, despite wanting it more than anything.

Chiron's expression darkened.

"Yes, child." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now… until we know more… I would urge you to put that out of your mind."

"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?" Percy asked with a frown.

"Come, you two. Let's see the woods." Chiron said.

As they got closer, both of the boys realized how large the forest. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees from rainforests, in Markus' opinion.

"The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed," Chiron said,

"Stocked with what?" Percy asked. "Armed with what?"

"Monsters and weapons," Markus said, rolling his eyes. It seemed like common sense to him. Not so much for Percy, he guessed.

"You'll see. Capture the Flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"

"My own-?" Percy stammered.

"Chiron," Markus interjected. "We just found out about all of this. Why would we have our own swords and shields?"

"…Good point." Chiron said after a moment, looking a little embarrassed at being called out on that. "I think a size five will do for both of you boys. I'll visit the armoury later."

The tour continued as they saw the archery range. Next was the canoeing lake, which Markus took some interest in. He wondered if he would feel a pull from the water like from before, like against the dracanae.

Next were the stables (which Chiron didn't like very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheatre, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.

"Sword and spear fights?" Percy asked.

"Cabin challenges and all that," Chiron explained. "Not lethal. Usually."

Markus seemed to frown at that as Percy shifted a bit. "Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."

Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.

"What do you do when it rains?" Percy asked curiously.

Chiron gave Percy this weird look. "We still have to eat, don't we?"

"What, is it enchanted with magic?" Markus asked jokingly. When Chiron smiled slyly at him, he realized he wasn't joking. "Wait, it's actually enchanted?" he asked, a little excited. In case it wasn't clear, Markus had a sort of fascination with magic. Don't judge him.

Finally, he showed them the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. They were pretty bizarre.

Each had a large brass number above the door- odds on the left, evens on the right- , looking nothing alike whatsoever. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, and a couple of basketball hoops.

In the centre of the field was a huge stone-lined fire pit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.

Markus wondered if it was safe to let a little kid near a fire. Just what kind of camp let little kids do dangerous stuff like this. Just as he was about to tell Chiron about this, he looked into the girl's eyes. What he saw shocked him. Where her eyes should have been were flames- her eyes were literally filled with flames. But these flames weren't violent; they seemed cosy, like a small, warm campfire.

Also, her face was shockingly beautiful for a nine year old girl, which creeped Markus out for a second. There was no way that was a normal girl. When she looked at him, she seemed shocked also, like she wasn't used to people seeing her. Then she smiled, and waved at him. Markus didn't know what to do, so he waved back.

When he turned towards Chiron and Percy, they didn't seem to notice anything strange. They just continued walking on, as if nothing happened. When he looked towards where the girl was, she was gone. Mystified, Markus quickly followed the others, falling onto step with them.

He joined them just in time to see the pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two. They looked like his-and-hers mausoleum, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Markus stared at cabin one, it being the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve, also obnoxious looking too. It seemed like a bank!

Cabin two was more graceful and feminine, with its slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

"Zeus and Hera?" Percy asked.

"Correct," Chiron said with a nod.

"Their cabins look empty." Percy pointed out.

"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."

Then both boys got a look at cabin three. It was sea-themed, they noticed, with a more slender and low look compared to cabin one or two. It was decorated with coral shells and had a mixture of blue and green colours.

Percy made to step inside, and Markus did two, when Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!" But it was too late.

Markus got the smell of the sea breeze, like near the ocean. He felt a calming sensation when breathing it in. Like with the water, he felt a slight pull towards the cabin, leaving him puzzled as to why.

Chiron then put a hand on both the boys' shoulders. "Come along, Percy, Markus, there is more to see."

As the boys got a better look, they could see that most of the other cabins were crowded with campers. Number five was bright red, a really messy paint job, as if the colour had been splashed on with buckets and finger-painted by a caveman, but less artistic.

The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to be moving like googly eyes. Inside Markus saw a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, shouting over blaring American rock music and arm wrestling each other like they had nothing better to do.

The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket and had long stringy brown hair. She zeroed in on both Markus and Percy, giving a dark sneer.

Markus, not liking that, glared back with an intense glare. He didn't have to deal with bullies on the streets, but he just didn't like them in general.

They kept walking until Percy spoke. "We haven't seen any other centaurs," he observed.

"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here."

Then Percy said, "You said your name was Chiron. Are you really…"

He smiled down at the boy. " _The_ Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am."

"But shouldn't you be dead?" Percy pointed out tactlessly. This cause Markus to punch him in the arm. "Ow!" the boy exclaimed and turned to glare at Markus, but he just glared back. Seriously, did he just ask that?

Chiron paused, as if thinking of what to say. "I honestly don't about if I should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, aeons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish... and I gave up much. But up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."

"Doesn't it ever get boring?" Percy asked, and Markus facepalmed. Can he not just shut up?!

"No, no," Chiron said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."

"Why dep-" Percy started. Markus stopped him by slapping his head.

"What?" Percy snapped at him.

"People die, dumbass. Learn that."

Percy's eyes widened in realization. Chiron didn't seem to be paying attention to their conversation as he walked along.

"Oh, look," Chiron spoke. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

The blonde girl they met at the Big House was leaning against a railing, reading a book with what looked like Ancient Greek (Markus guessed because that seemed to be the running gig here).

She looked up from her book, her storm grey eyes studying us intently, like she could still see the drool from when both boys slept. Markus wasn't interested in talking about that.

She stood in front of what seemed to be Cabin Eleven. Out of all the cabins thus far, eleven looked the most like a standard summer camp cabin, which seemed run down. Like a worn threshold, peeling brown paint, like it needed work done to it. Over the doorway there seemed to be a caduceus symbol. Inside it was packed with people, both boys and girls, with way more sleeping bags than people.

Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.

"Well then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy, Markus. I'll see you both at dinner."

He galloped away towards the archery range.

The two black haired children were looking at the kids, as they looked back at them.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on." She urged both boys.

Amazingly Percy did so and tripped on his own feet, making a fool out of himself.

There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything. Markus laughed anyone, getting Percy to glare at him from the floor. Eventually Markus managed to walk in and _not_ make a fool of himself.

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson, meet cabin eleven." As Percy stood up.

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.

Neither boy knew what to say, but Annabeth did, "Undetermined."

Everybody groaned.

A blonde hair guy came up and spoke to the campers. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy and Markus. You both can have that spot on the floor, right over there." He pointed to the corner.

Markus gave the guy a once over (again, not in that way). He looked to be in his late teens, tall and muscular but lean. He had short-cropped hair and a nice smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-coloured clay beads. He also had a scar, thick and white that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw. Markus liked the guy, he seemed pretty cool.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, though her voice sounded different somehow. Markus looked at the girl and saw her blushing lightly and snickered. Annabeth heard him and saw Percy looking at her, then her expression hardened. "He's your counsellor for now. He's also the one who brought you to the infirmary Markus."

"For now?" Percy asked.

"I thought so because he looked familiar." said Markus. "Thanks for that."

"No problem," Luke said to him. Then to Percy, he explained. "You're both undetermined. They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travellers."

"Also thieves too, right?" Markus pointed out, which got some snickers from the more mischief looking kids. He remembered that little piece of information just now. "Yeah, I'm not placing anything here. I'm not stupid." This got even more snickers from the kids, including Luke.

"How long will we be here?" Percy asked.

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

The campers all laughed.

"Come on," Annabeth told both the new campers. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"I've already seen it." Percy argued.

"Come on." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside. Markus followed since he wanted answers.

When they were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, Henderson, you have to do better than that."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Markus said sarcastically, getting annoyed at the girl in front of him. "I didn't know we would have to _perform_ properly."

She glared scathingly, but I glared back, sick of this whole guessing game.

"What do you mean?" Percy cracked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought either of you were the one."

Markus heard her, and scoffed, "Okay, crappy Matrix reference aside"- when he saw both of their confused faces, he really pitied them- "what the hell is your problem anyway?"

"I was just hoping that one of you would help me, but clearly I was wrong," she responded, getting back to her point.

Markus was going to argue again, but Percy interjected, "Look, can I just get answers? All I know is, I kill some bull guy-"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told him with narrowed eyes. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd have your chance?"

"To get killed?" Percy asked scathingly.

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?" Annabeth retorted.

"The Olympics," Markus snarked.

"Shut up already!" she yelled at him.

"Make me!" he shouted back, sick of this girl's attitude. "I don't think Percy nor me care about any glory or fame from killing monsters. We both lost our mums to monsters, so excuse me if we don't seem enthusiastic to you." At the end, his face was red with anger.

Annabeth winced, like she suddenly realized how bitchy she sounded, because she should.

"Look," she said, calm now. "I'm sorry about how I acted. And I'm sorry about you losing your mothers. It's just… it's serious stuff to us, what you two did."

Percy shook his head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one from the stories, and Markus did what he did…"

"You're damned right I did." Markus muttered.

"Then there's only one," Percy said, "And he died, like, a gazillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So…"

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die." Annabeth answered.

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up." Percy said sarcastically.

"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they're primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form."

"You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-" Percy said.

"The Fur… I mean, your maths teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?" Percy asked.

"You talk in your sleep. Though Markus talks about pizzas."

"Damn right." Markus said proudly, not even bothered by it. "Wait, you watched us sleep? That's getting real suggestive there." He teased her.

"Shut up." She scowled cutely, her face flushing.

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?" Percy asked.

Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."

"Wow, you have a lot of rules," Markus said, a bit annoyed.

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" Percy said in a whiny tone. "Why do we have to stay at cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."

He pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale.

"…Wow, even _I_ get why you don't do that. And I know about as much as you do." Markus said, having an idea as to why, but not really believing it.

"He's right, Percy." Annabeth said. "You don't just choose a cabin. It depends on who your parents are. Or… your parent."

She stared at him, waiting for him to get it.

"My mum is Sally Jackson," Percy said in a matter-of-fact tone. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

"I'm sorry about your mum, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad." Annabeth answered him.

"He's dead. I never knew him."

"Percy, I think by now you should have figured out that are parents are gods… along with just about everyone here," Markus spoke. It was definitely a shock to find out Greek gods existed. To find out they were your parents _were_ Greek gods… that was mind-blowing.

Annabeth sighed, "Markus is right, Percy. Your father isn't dead."

"How can you say that? You know him?" Percy asked in surprise.

"No, of course not," Annabeth flustered.

"Then how can you say-"

"Because I know both of you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us." Annabeth assured them.

"You don't know anything about me," Percy said with a frown.

"I agree with him," Markus said, also frowning at that. "Don't assume you know anything about me."

"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How-" Percy blinked in surprise while Markus denied it. "Actually, I haven't been to school that much." He said. "Only went to one, and that was it."

Annabeth also blinked in surprise by the answer, but nevertheless continued on. "Well, for _most_ of us, we are. You're also diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

Markus agreed with at least that statement. "What does that have to do with it?" he asked curiously.

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for Ancient Greek. And the ADHD-you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom, or anywhere. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for them for what they are."

Markus had flashbacks of his few brawls, from thug fights, to fights with several patrol officers. It did make sense, really.

"You sound like… you went through the same thing?" Percy said as he looked at the girl.

Annabeth shrugged, "Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur or the dracanae, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar." Percy muttered with a knitted brow.

"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're half-bloods."

"I'm starting to think you should change the name," Markus muttered, still on the topic that it sounded racist. How could you not notice that?

Annabeth looked like she was about to say something, when a husky voice yelled, "Well! Looky here, newbies!"

The three looked over. The big girl from the big, ugly cabin from before marched over to them. She had three other girls behind her, the same big, ugly looks as her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed with annoyance. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

Innuendo, Markus thought, biting the inside of his cheek to not call it out.

"Sure Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it on Friday night."

Okay, how did they not notice what they were saying? It was right there!

"Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which Markus somehow understood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!'

"You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverise you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Maybe she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat.

She turned towards Percy and Markus. "Who're the runts?" she asked, successful in pissing Markus off.

"Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, daughter of Ares."

Percy blinked. "Like… the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Percy stated. "It explains the bad smell."

"And the pig looks." Markus added, just plain angry.

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy, Marcie."

"Percy." He corrected.

Markus' retort was more fiery. "Would it be my foot shoved up your ass?"

"You want to go, punk?" Clarisse mocked him.

"Oh, sorry, I don't screw pig, come again when you've changed… everything," Markus retorted back, loving the look of anger on her face.

"Clarisse-" Annabeth started, but Clarisse cut her off. "Stay out of it, wise girl." She retorted.

She made a grab for Markus' shoulder, but he wouldn't have that.

In Markus' perspective, time slowed down. He wondered if it was his 'battle reflexes' acting up. Nevertheless, he briefly remembered all the fights he had, and what to do.

Slapping Clarisse's hand away, Markus kicked out, striking the girl's leg and making her unbalanced. She cried out, almost tumbling over. Then he reached out and grabbed her arm, twisting his body, and flipped her over his shoulder. He didn't know where he got the strength to leave to lift her, but he didn't care.

He apparently judo-flipped her over, her back landing on the ground. Then he stepped on her neck lightly, twisting her arm that was still in his hand. She tried to cry out, but couldn't when no oxygen came to her mouth.

Everyone froze, including the three girls who were backing Clarisse up. Guess they couldn't believe that the supposed 'newbie' beat Clarisse. Huh, go figure.

"Give up?" Markus taunted, still having his foot on her neck and her arm in a hold. When she didn't indicate anything, he twisted her arm again, getting a grunt from her. " _Give up?"_ he repeated scathingly, sick of her resistance.

Clarisse glared at him with all the hatred she had, but she nodded. He let her go, getting her to cough and splutter. When he gave her a moment, Markus leaned in and whispered, "Next time you want to act like a big shot, don't. Or you'll land flat on your ass, again."

She looked as if she were about to tackle him again, but held back, still glaring hatefully at him. After saying his piece, and wanting to be a little dramatic, he walked off. Markus also did it because he didn't really want to deal with Clarisse.

Leaving the group, Markus walked on, his mind wondering so much that he arrived at the stables, and didn't notice for until he bumped into someone. "Oof!" he grunted, blaming that on himself. He reached out to grab the person falling, noticing that the figure felt feminine. His eyes met dark blue eyes that had a glow to them.

Markus' eyes then took in the rest of the girl's features. She seemed roughly fourteen. She had silky black hair that he'd only seen in top notch salons. Her hair stopped at her lower back. She had pink eyeliner and a bit of pink lipstick on her lips, which made her even more prettier. Markus blushed at the thought. He never really thought that make-up made girls pretty, but it seemed to work on her. She also wore an orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt and blue jeans.

She seemed to be the most gorgeous girl Markus ever met. Annabeth seemed cute, but she was beautiful.

He could still feel that he had a blush on his face, which he berated himself for having in front of a girl.

The girl backed up, rubbing her arm in embarrassment. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

Markus snapped out of his earlier embarrassment, and stood straight, his pride demanding that he didn't make a fool of himself. "N-no! It was my fault! I, uh, didn't wasn't looking where I-I was going. S-sorry!"

Great job, Markus. Way to be Casanova. Surely you have the skill to at least talk to a girl.

The girl giggled. Well at least he had that going. She stuck out her hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm Silena Beareguard, nice to meet you."

Markus smile, pleased she wasn't angry. "Markus Henderson, nice to meet you, too." He shook her hand in greeting.

The two kept shaking hands, liking the warmth of each others hands. Then they flushed at that and took their hands back quickly. Markus didn't know how to respond to a girl, since he never had to.

"So," Markus started, wanting to get rid of the awkwardness evident. "Who's your parent?"

"Aphrodite, goddess of love," Silena shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

Markus was shocked. She belonged to the Barbie house that was cabin ten? But she acted so… down to earth. This made Markus instantly like her for that.

Silena's blue eyes widened as she snapped her fingers. "I remember now. You're the boy who killed the dracanae and appeared from the shore two nights ago."

Markus nodded, smiling. "Yep, that's me. Hey, would you like to… uh, hang out?" he asked in a hopeful tone. She was the first girl that Markus met that didn't try to interrogate him (which was done quite poorly) or bully him. Also, she seemed nice to hang out with. He could just tell these things.

She smiled brightly, seeming to actually like the idea. "Sure. I'd love to hang out with you." Then she waved at him. "I'll see you later." She said, walking off into the direction of the cabins.

Markus smiled, the blush appearing on his face again. He needed to stop that, dammit! He just met her! He wasn't going to act lovestruck all of a sudden.

But Markus did find himself liking her. Maybe because she seemed nice, compared to some girls he met, which he could only count on one hand.

A loud explosion made him jump in surprise. He started running towards where the sound came from.

When he got there, he wasn't surprised at seeing Percy standing off to the side while Annabeth, Clarisse and her posse were drenched in water from head to toe. Percy was dry and had a sheepish look on his face.

"Percy, what did you do?" Markus asked, exasperated.

"Why do you think I did it?" Percy asked, trying to look shocked but failing.

Markus deadpanned. "Because I can just tell that you had a hand in this." He said. Then he looked towards Clarisse, and smirked. "Though I will applaud you for this."

Clarisse glared poisonous daggers at him and Percy. Annabeth and the posse just glared at Percy.

Markus turned towards Annabeth and asked. "Okay, what actually happened?", while trying not to laugh at her. He failed miserably.

Annabeth squeezed the water out of her shirt and glared at Markus. "After you left, Clarisse and her siblings dragged Percy into the bathroom and knelt him down in front of the toilet-"

Here Percy interrupted her, frowning, "The water suddenly shot out of the toilet! Wetting everyone else except me."

Markus was about to comment on that, when Clarisse spoke, her voice filled with hatred. "You're dead new boy. And you too." Here she glared towards Markus.

Here Markus rose an eyebrow mockingly. "Oh, if you want to get knocked flat on your ass _again_ , you're always welcome." Here he bowed mockingly.

Here Clarisse had to be held back by her siblings, though they didn't look happy either.

When they left, Markus looked towards Annabeth, who was staring at him and Percy intently. "What?"

"I'm thinking," Annabeth said. "That I want both of you to join my team in Capture the Flag on Friday."

"Oh, joy," Markus muttered.

 **Hello, everyone! Whoo! Another chapter uploaded! I'm so happy for myself. An accomplishment that means so little to me achieved. Yay!**

 **So as you see, the story is still following the canon route, with some little twists. Now I just want to suggest some things.**

 **Firstly for those of you who want me to pair Percy with Annabeth. The answer is a big fat NO! I'm sorry, I love PercyxAnnabeth as much as anyone, I really do. But I'm pairing her with my OC, and that's final. I will probably pair Percy with either Rachel or Reyna, we'll see. Annabeth stays with the OC, along with the other girls mentioned and a few others in future. Again, sorry, but not really sorry.**

 **Also, there may be different pantheons like the Hindu and Shinto pantheons along with several others. It will all be clear in future as well. And the title will come into play soon, don't worry about that.**

 **Bye! Read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

After the little incident at the bathrooms, people were whispering about what happened. Of course Markus ignored it while he was pretty sure Percy heard it. Or maybe they were commenting on Annabeth, who was still wet from the bathroom incident. Markus tried not commenting on that. He failed, and ended up getting punched on the arm for that.

They passed a rock wall that had lava spewing out of it. Markus definitely wanted to climb that, despite how dangerous it seemed.

Then there was the arts and crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords).

Later on they passed the canoeing lake they saw earlier. Annabeth stopped and said flatly, "I've got training to do. Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets." Percy blurted out, feeling guilty.

"Whatever."

"It wasn't my fault." Percy said but stopped as he knew it was his fault too. Annabeth looked at him sceptically and Markus just chuckled quietly. Percy glared at the other boy.

Markus himself was wondering about how the whole incident happened. He wasn't sure how it happened either, and he wasn't willing to believe Percy that he didn't know what happened.

"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said.

"Who?" Percy asked.

"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron."

"Wait, isn't that one of those fortune-tellers from ancient times?" Markus asked, remembering that tidbit from staying outside a library some time ago.

"Yes, but this Oracle is different." Annabeth said.

Markus nodded, not really interested in knowing more at the moment. He saw Percy looking down at the water, seemingly blushing. Wondering what was going on, he leaned down also, seeing two people there. Two teenage girls were sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts. Their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They waved, like they knew both boys.

Markus didn't know what to do. He waved back, along with Percy.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads," Percy repeated, sounding completely overwhelmed. Markus could somehow relate too. "That's it. I want to go home now."

"Hold on," Markus started, exasperated. "So, fighting a Fury, killing the Minotaur, learning Greek mythology actually exists, meeting a god, all that is fine. But meeting cute girls makes you want to leave?" Here, Percy blushed. Markus just shook his head. "I just don't get you, man."

Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?" deadpanned Percy.

"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human."

"Half-human and half-what?"

"God, Percy," Markus said, tired of him being slow. He seemed to be under a lot of denial, but he couldn't blame him. "Half-god. We're basically demigods from the times of old."

"Right," Annabeth agreed. "You're fathers aren't dead, Percy, Markus. They're both one of the Olympians."

"Wait, what about the other gods?" Markus asked, curious. "The ones from Greek mythology as well. Like Hecate, Hypnos, and all the rest?"

"…That's true also," Annabeth said, after thinking for a moment. "But not likely."

"But how could our parents be gods. That's… crazy."

"Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories?"

"Uh, smite people and pop kids out like rabbits." Markus answered, remembering that tidbit quite easily.

"I was talking about the last part, but yes," Annabeth answered, speaking hesitantly, as if she might be struck down.

"…Hold up," Markus said, after some thought. "Almost every kid here is a demigod, right?"

"Yes…" Annabeth said slowly.

"So, do the gods not learn the use of a condom, or, you know, pulling out?" Markus asked, socked. Seriously, how many kids came from one of the gods' daily 'meetings'

Both Annabeth and Percy blushed at the images created, but Annabeth answered anyway. "Well, no. I guess not." She said, still blushing while answering.

After a moment, Percy asked, "So… if all the kids here are demigods, then who is your dad?"

Her hands tightened around the pier railing. Markus got the feeling that they approached sensitive territory.

"My dad is a professor at West Point," she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."

"He's human." Percy stated.

"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"

"Who's your mum then?"

"Cabin six."

"…You do know we're still new, do you?" Markus stated after a moment.

Annabeth straightened and replied, "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."

Huh, so she had a wisdom goddess as a mum? Well that explained the calculative grey eyes she had.

"And my dad?" Percy asked.

"Underdetermined," Annabeth said. "Like I told you before. Nobody knows."

"Except my mother. She knew."

"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."

"My dad would have. He loved her."

Markus shrugged. "Well I'm not looking forward to meeting my jackass of a dad anyway, so I'm not eager to find out about him." Percy and Annabeth gave him looks. "What?"

"You're not curious to find out about your dad?" Percy asked.

Markus scoffed indignantly. "No, why should I? The bastard let my mum die and left me to fend for myself. I could care less about him." He was being honest too. While he did hold some resentment towards his unknown dad, which was an understatement, he honestly didn't care enough to find out about him. He's survived for twelve years without his father's help, and seven of those years on his own. He didn't need him now.

"The gods can't interfere with mortal affairs, Markus." Annabeth said.

Markus scoffed again. "Excuses. If they can't interfere in our lives, why bother having us anyway?" he asked. The way he saw it, it was just petty excuses the gods used to not visit them. He wasn't asking to meet his dad directly, he was a god after all. But not even a sign? A message to show that he still gave a damn about him? Nope. Nothing.

Annabeth glanced nervously at the sky, as if it were going to become stormy again. "You shouldn't talk like that. The gods won't like that."

"The gods can kiss my ass for all I care," Markus said, which resulted in lightning to flash across the sky. This caused him to roll his eyes. Really, Zeus? Do you have to act like a drama queen all the damn time?

Annabeth looked angry, and was about to say something, but Percy interrupted. "So will I get a sign from him or something?" he asked.

"Sometimes it happens," Annabeth said, happy to answer the question.

"And sometimes it doesn't?"

"The gods are busy. They have a lot of children and they don't always… Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."

She ignored Markus' muttering, "Of course they do."

"So I'm stuck here," Percy said, thinking about all the sad expressions he saw at the cabin. He kind of agreed with Markus' way of thinking. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"

"Well, it depends." Annabeth stated. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us we're old enough to cause trouble- about ten or eleven years old (here Markus scowled, the obvious exception to that rule), but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."

"So monsters can't get in here?" Percy asked, hoping he was safe.

Annabeth shook her head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by someone on the inside."

"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"

"Practice fights. Practical jokes."

"Practical jokes?"

"So someone's idea of a prank," Markus mused, wondering if he would meet such people here.

"Anyway," Annabeth said. "The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."

"So… you're a year-rounder?" Percy asked. Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colours. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring."

"I've been here since I was seven," she said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most counsellors, and they're all in college."

"Why did you come so young?"

She twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business."

Markus nudged Percy. "Percy, I think you should focus on not asking sensitive questions," he said, this showing that Percy still didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

Annabeth nodded to Markus in gratitude.

"Sorry," Percy said. "So… I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"

"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless…"

"Unless?" Both boys asked.

"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time…"

Her voice trailed off. Both boys could tell from her tone that the last time hadn't gone well.

"Back in the sick room," Percy said, "when you were feeding me that stuff-"

"Ambrosia."

"Yeah, that stuff. Anyway, you asked me something about the summer solstice."

"Yeah, me too," Markus said.

Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "So both of you _do_ know something?" 

"Well… no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"

She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so _normal._ "

"As normal as you can get with gods anyway," Markus muttered.

"You've been to Olympus?" Percy asked, surprised.

"Some of us year-rounders-Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others- we took a field trip during the winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."

"But… how did you get there?"

"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." She looked at them like they already knew about it. "You _are_ both New Yorkers, right?"

"Sure," Markus muttered sarcastically. He seemed to be doing that a lot. "Because we've both seen Olympus floating above us at a hundred feet up, and the quickest way is through the Empire State Building. Thanks!"

Honestly, did she think they knew all this? She needed to stop assuming too much.

She blushed, just remembering that both boys were all new to this. "Sorry. Right after we visited, the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by the summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you both came along, I was hoping… I mean- Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And there's the rivalry she has with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something."

"Well thanks for the vote of confidence," Markus said, "but sorry. We know of this situation as much as you do. Even less. But hopefully we might help each other." He wasn't opposed to it, despite her being annoying at times.

"Thanks. I need to get one. I'm _not_ too young. If only I could found out what's going on…"

On that note, Percy's stomach rumbled, indicating he was hungry. Come to think of it, I was too.

"I'll see you later," Annabeth said, tracing her finger along the railing of the pier, as if drawing a battle plan. Considering who her mum was, that was possible.

"Come on," Markus said to Percy. "Let's join our new cabinmates."

 **XXX**

Back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and messing around, waiting for dinner. Markus noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They seemed to be the pranksters of the cabin, or the camp. Markus found himself instantly liking them. He just hoped that they didn't prank him. Then there was going to be problems.

The counsellor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes resemblance, too. It was marred by the scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact. Markus wondered if he got into some kind of fight, or battle. "Found you both a sleeping bag," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."

Markus was able to fully believe him. Being the son of the god of thieves and all that. "Thanks."

No prob." Luke sat next to them, pushing his back against the wall. "Tough first day?"

Markus shrugged. "A bit hard to handle, but I'm adjusting."

Percy's answer was different. "Me, I don't belong here. I don't even believe in gods."

"Yeah," Luke said. "That's how it all started. Once you start believing in them, it doesn't get any easier."

"Your dad is Hermes?" Percy asked.

Luke pulled out a switchblade out of his pocket. For a second Markus thought he was going to gut them, but he just scraped some mud off the sole of his shoe. "Yeah. Hermes."

"The wing-footed messenger guy." Percy asked.

"That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travellers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors."

"You ever meet your dad?" Percy asked, curious.

"Once," Luke didn't say anymore on that subject. Just for a second, Markus thought that he saw a hint of darkness in Luke's eyes, but it disappeared as soon as he saw it.

After a moment, Percy turned towards Markus. "So Markus," he asked. "Where did you go when you left?"

"Near the stables," Markus answered. "Just decided to go for a walk. Then I met someone."

"Who?" Luke asked.

Here Markus blushed, remembering his meeting with Silena. He still remembered her features; her dark hair, her blue eyes, her figure. Here Markus shut his thoughts at that particular point.

"Markus." Here Luke snapped his fingers in front of his face, turning his attention towards the son of Hermes.

"Uh, sorry," Markus said, his blush gone. "I met a girl called Silena."

Here Luke smiled almost knowingly. "Oh, you met her. Well I can't blame your reaction, her being a daughter of Aphrodite."

Here Percy turned towards Markus, interested also.

"We just talked," Markus muttered, embarrassed. He wasn't supposed to be embarrassed, dammit! Why couldn't he just snap out of it.

"I think you might have done more than talked," Luke teased annoyingly, making Markus wanting to punch his face repeatedly. "Does someone have a crush on the pretty daughter of Aphrodite?"

Here Percy laughed, causing Markus to punch him on the shoulder. Hard. He still had the audacity to laugh.

"Shut up. Just shut up." Markus said, his face resembling a tomato.

Luke just chuckled. "I'm kidding, Markus. And don't worry about it Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other."

Markus seemed to like that, except the 'extended family' part. He still had issues about that. Go figure.

Percy then asked, "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being 'Big Three' material. Then Annabeth… twice, she said me and Markus might be 'the one.' She said we should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?"

Luke folded his knife. "I hate prophecies."

"What do you mean?"

Luke's face twitched around his scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everybody. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of Hespherides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed anymore quests."

"Wait?" Markus interrupted. "Was that how you got your scar? From the dragon there, Ladon?" He also remembered that myth in particular. Who knew sleeping outside a library could improve his knowledge of Greek myths.

Luke smiled grimly. "Got it right in one, Markus. Anyway, Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until… somebody special came to the camp."

"Somebody special?" Percy asked.

"Sounds like some protagonist bullshit from a novel or TV series," Markus muttered to himself. He frowned, feeling like someone just laughed at him and his statement. **(A.N.- i.e., me, hahaha!)**

"Don't worry about it, guys," Luke said. " Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now come on, it's dinnertime." As soon as he said that, a horn blew in the distance.

Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!" The whole cabin, about twenty or so of kids, filed into the commons yard. They lined up in order of seniority, so of course Percy and Markus were dead last. Campers from other cabins came too, except the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which now glowed silver as the sun went down.

They marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined the group from the meadows. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods, literally. In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in the bronze brazier. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. Percy had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half his butt hanging off. Markus helped by shoving a few people to the side, making space for him and Percy.

Both boys saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blonde boys who looked just like Mr. D. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being too small for him.

Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with grey eyes and blonde hair.

Clarisse sat behind them at Ares' table. She'd apparently gotten over being humiliated, because she was laughing and belching right along with her siblings.

Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everyone went silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody raised their glasses. "To the gods!" Both Markus and Percy said it weakly, one feeling overwhelmed and the other just not really feeling thankful.

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, bread, and barbecue. Markus' stomach growled in glee, not being used to food like this in a long time. Both boys' glasses were empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want- non-alcoholic of course."

While Percy experimented with his Blue Cherry Coke, Markus said, "Dr. Pepper!" Sure enough, the liquid filled his glass. He took a sip, sighing in content. The drink quickly became his favourite after an incident in a diner. Then some food was passed to the boys.

Markus was about to dig in, but Luke said, "Come on!" He nearly pouted. His stomach needed good food, right now! They followed him to the bathtub fire and saw people throwing in a good portion of their food in it. This made Markus blanch. Who would throw away such food?! A lesson Markus was taught (well, learned) on the streets was that you should never waste what you got.

"Burnt offerings for the gods," Luke explained. "They like the smell."

Both boys looked puzzled. "Why would an immortal, all-powerful being love the smell of burnt food?" Percy asked.

"Right?" Markus agreed.

Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes."

When it was Percy's turn, he threw his food in, and not much happened. Then Markus came for his turn. Not knowing who to pray to in particular, he was a bit stumped. He didn't want to offer anything to his asshole of a father who couldn't do jack shit for him. Then he came across a certain name that he took interest in.

"Hestia," he muttered, remembering the goddess of the hearth from the stories he read. She was his favourite goddess because of her domain; family. Something Markus yearned for the past seven years. It was one of the most important things to him, and that was why she was his favourite goddess.

He threw a piece of his barbecue after saying the name, which filled the air with a smell of chocolate and fresh-baked cookies, with hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and hundreds of other amazing things as well. What was even stranger was that the hearth burned more brightly, and there was a glow coming from it, as if pleased with his offering. Then he remembered that Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and so probably heard his offering. He smiled at that.

People raised their eyebrows high, but Markus quickly left before anyone could ask any questions.

After that, both boys ate quickly. Markus learned that they even made pizza here, another one of his favourite foods. Even better, it seemed never-ending here. Markus was quickly learning to love this place.

Markus also saw table ten, which was completely pink. Sitting there were tons of boys and girls, all good-looking and beautiful. His attention, however, was on Silena, who was chatting with some of her siblings. She saw him, smiled and waved. Blushing, he waved back. Her siblings saw this and burst into giggles and chatter.

Chiron pounded his hoof for attention. Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activity director, Chiron, says that capture the flag is this Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table.

"Personally," Mr. D muttered. "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that you that we have two new campers today. Peter Johnson and Marrie Hunding."

Markus glared at him for getting his name wrong.

Chiron muttered something. "Er, Percy Jackson and Markus Henderson." Mr D. corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

Everybody cheered. They all headed down to the amphitheatre, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along. They sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked. Both Markus and Percy were starting to enjoy this place. Markus especially. It started to feel like he had an actual home to go to.

 **Morning to you all (or afternoon or evening, whatever floats your boat) readers. Another chapter update in two days. I'm on a roll. Anyway the story is still following the canon trail, but it'll deviate soon. Now this fic will deal with the study of magic (duh). So I might bring in some stuff from Dr. Strange or possibly Harry Potter. There will be deep study on this sort of stuff, which is why I'm bringing in all of this.**

 **Next the harem poll. Now it's been updated. The members so far are:**

 **Annabeth**

 **Thalia**

 **Silena**

 **Katie**

 **Bianca**

 **Zoe**

 **Piper**

 **These are the members I've added so far and will stay. Other characters can be added on, voted by you guys, but these members stay. So definitely no PercyxAnnabeth in this fic. Just letting you all know that, so there's no discussion on that.**

 **Later! Read and Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

The next few days were really weird, but it soon became routine that mythical creatures were teaching Markus and Percy. Well, more for Markus than Percy, but whatever.

Each morning, they would go to Ancient Greek class, where they learned the Greek Language from Annabeth. Thanks to their Greek heritage, they could understand it. Strangely enough, Markus picked up Latin really well, but was unsure as to why.

Then after that and breakfast, they would participate in outdoor activities. This is where both boys separated to find out what they were good at.

Both tried archery class with Chiron. That turned out… bad. Apparently both boys sucked at archery. Like, really sucked. So badly in fact that Percy got an arrow stuck in Chiron's rump. Markus nearly took an Apollo camper's head off. He wanted to try again to see if he can do better, but everyone said that him and Percy can try something else, which he pouted at.

Later on, Markus and Percy did some foot racing with the wood nymph instructors. They left Percy in the dust, so did Markus, but he lost too. Markus told him he was used to running from thugs and police officers.

The nymphs told them not to worry about it. They'd had centuries running away from lovesick gods. However, Markus wasn't satisfied with that. He just kept on challenging them, eagerly wanting to get faster.

For wrestling, Clarisse seemed to enjoy beating Percy into the mat, whispering stuff to him. For Markus, Clarisse outright charged at him, wanting revenge for humiliating her. She seemed to fail at every turn, either with Markus slipping out of the way, or him charging head on and beating her down also. Huh, seems watching bums fight each other and participating helped a lot.

Afterwards, it was lessons with Grover, who taught both boys about gods and monsters.

At other times, Markus went to the stables to hang out with Silena, or learn pegasi-riding. Today he stood in the stables with her as he watched her demonstrate how to put a saddle on the back of a Pegasus. She'd been showing him for the last ten minutes. Surprisingly the pegasi seemed to like him, allowing him to ride them no problem. Silena recalled that no one became friendly with the pegasi that quickly, not even her. Markus simply replied that horses seemed to like him. Then he and Silena led two pegasi out of the stables. She was riding a white horse, while Markus was riding a beautiful brown horse with chestnut brown eyes named Porkpie.

Markus was about to steer Porkpie along when he heard a voice in his head, saying, _Stupid boy. Probably try and fall flat on his face, riding a majestic steed like me_.

Markus blinked, surprised and worried for himself that he had voices in his head. Did living on the street somehow go insane as well? Why was it just kicking in now? Was he going to a mental hospital, after all this time.

Then his brain, the one that started to accept all this randomness that he was living in, picked up on one word in particular that was said by the voice. Steed. Which meant horse.

Suddenly finding the thought ludicrous and ridiculous, but pointing out mentally that Greek mythology being alive was also ridiculous but true, he turned towards Silena, who was ready to ride her horse. She didn't seem to look strange, as if she didn't have voices in her head about horses. Or maybe she did, and was used to it. That was a worrying thought.

Turning to the only possible (impossible, though) suspect, he peered down at Porkpie. "D-did you just t-talk?" Markus asked, cursing himself for stammering.

Silena looked at him oddly. "Markus, you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Markus ignored her and continued looking at the Pegasus expectantly. He knew that he probably looked crazy right now, but he didn't care.

After a moment, he heard the voice in his head again, this time shocked, _Y-you can understand me?_ The horse asked, neighing instead of speaking.

Markus continued ignoring the stare Silena was giving him and the absurdity of the situation and replied back, "Yeah, I can hear." He said with relief, happy that he wasn't insane.

 _A child of milord?_ The Pegasus responded, shocked.

"Uh… who is your… milord?" Markus asked, now realizing that he was about to maybe find out about his dad. Suddenly a thought came to him. Greek mythology was alive. Horses (pegasi, whatever) were talking to him. Horses related to…

Porkpie's answer confirmed his suspicions. _Why, Lord Poseidon, of course._ The Pegasus neighed proudly.

 _That_ was a shock. Markus' eyes almost popped out of his sockets. His dad, his deadbeat dad… was Poseidon? At first he wanted to deny it. But then he remembered that his dad was a god. He just didn't know _which_ god. Thinking back to his encounter with the dracanae, he remembered falling into the river and being revitalized. He didn't know why that was, but now he did. He was the son of Poseidon.

"Markus. Markus." Silena snapped her fingers in front of his face, breaking him out of his thoughts. She pouted. "I've been calling you for two minutes. What was wrong?"

Markus blushed, both at being caught in thought and being embarrassed, and also at her cute face when pouting. "N-nothing," he said, filing his thoughts away for later. "Come on. Let's go riding."

 **XXX**

After his surprising revelation, Markus found himself standing near the canoeing lake, wanting to test a theory. Since he figured out that he was a son of Poseidon, he's been thinking on what kind of benefits he was given. First, getting stronger from being in water. Then talking to horses. Now he wanted to find out more.

Looking around to make sure no one was looking in his direction, he quickly jumped into the lake, submerging himself. As soon as he made contact with the water, he felt the familiar boost he got from fighting the dracanae. But he didn't think on that.

He tried holding his breath. He had a theory that if he could do all that he can do, why can't he also breathe underwater? He'd never tried it, nor had the chance to try it. So he wanted to try it. He knew that if his theory was wrong, he could possibly drown. But he was sure.

After a moment, when he felt like gathering oxygen, he opened his mouth, fearing the worst. But as soon as he breathed, water filled his lungs, and he was breathing normally. No drowning. No shortage of breath. It was like he was breathing on land.

Markus waited, waited for something bad to happen. But he was still breathing normally. He was still alive. He was so happy with his discovery that he whooped in glee, not bothered by the water at all. In fact, in the water, he felt invincible, like he could take anyone on. He reminded himself to go into the water at some point later on.

After that, he tried swimming. He didn't actually know how to swim, which was kind of embarrassing for a son of Poseidon, but he didn't really need to. He just willed himself to move in the water, and he did. Pretty soon, he was swimming at speeds equal to Olympic swimmers. He continued on, eager to test of limits of his powers.

Markus didn't know how long he was at the lake, but when he re-surfaced, it was mid-afternoon. Promising himself to come back later, he immediately went back to the Hermes cabin.

 **XXX**

After spending a few days reading on anything he could about sons of Poseidon from the Greek myths and utilising that information for more power, Markus was walking towards the camp store to buy some water bottles to test out his water powers. As he was walking, he saw the Stoll brothers, two sons of Hermes who happened to be identical to each other, harassing a girl with warm brown eyes and long black hair. The Stoll brothers, Conor and Travis, were stealing from the camp store, with the girl yelling at them, trying to shoo them away.

Feeling pity on the girl, and knowing how much of a hassle the Stolls could be, he marched up, yelling, "Oi! Go bother someone else boys! Shoo!", acting as if both boys were cats.

The Stolls looked up, grinning when they saw Markus coming towards them. "Why hello, Markus," Conor, or Travis, said happily, still looting the camp store. "How may we help you today?"

"Yes, Markus," the other boy, who Markus assumed was Travis, replied. "How are you on this fine day."

"Peachy," Markus said dryly. "Now can you leave the poor girl alone? We wouldn't want someone to get pranked later on, now would we?" Markus asked.

Both boys grinned challengingly. "Ooh, we have a prankster on our hands?" Conor asked gleefully.

"Possibly," Markus replied. "But let's deal with that later on, okay?"

"Fine," Travis sighed dramatically. "But we'll hold you to that promise, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just move on." Markus grumbled, probably going to have to deal with this later.

Thankfully both boys left, probably to prank some unfortunate victim, leaving Markus alone with the girl.

"You okay?" Markus asked.

The girl scowled, then sighed. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for helping me."

"No problem. I know how much of a hassle they can be."

"You have no idea." The girl scowled cutely. "They are so annoying. And they never stop."

"Well I'm about to suffer for defending you later. So your welcome."

"Thanks." The girl reached out, offering to shake my hand. "I'm Katie Garderner."

"Markus Henderson." He shook her hand in return, feeling how rough it was. Which surprised him; he didn't expect a girl like her to have hands so rough, but then again, it wasn't right to assume things.

"So, Katie," Markus said, wanting to start a conversation. "Uh, who's your godly parent?"

She smiled, as if it were obvious as to who it was. "Demeter, goddess of agriculture." Oh, so she belonged in cabin four. That explained the calluses on her hands; from working in her cabin.

Then Markus opened his big mouth. "Well, that explains the name." In his defence, he spent too much time with Percy and caught his inablility to shut his mouth.

Thankfully Katie didn't look offended. Instead she giggled. "Well, I guess that also explains it." Markus was just thankful that she wasn't angry.

Then he remembered why he wanted to come here. "Hey, do you have water bottles? Like ten?"

"Sure," she said. "But why do you need so many?"

Here Markus gave a reasonable excuse. "I'm about to go sword-fighting with the Hermes cabin and decided to stock." Here he was telling a half-lie. He actually did need the water for sword-fighting, but also for a certain 'boost'.

Katie looked at him strangely, but nevertheless gave him the water bottles. She even gave him a backpack to hold all of it. She was very kind.

After going to the camp store, it was time for his first sword-fighting lesson, and everyone from Cabin Eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be the instructor.

He started with the basic stabbing and thrusting, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armour.

Markus found out that he wasn't too shabby with a sword, at least decent. The problem was that none of the blades felt right. When he started using the sword, he imagined fighting against thugs, dracanaes, the monsters that attacked his mum and he was fine.

In his opinion, Percy wasn't so bad with a sword either. He probably had the same problem as him: the swords weren't working for him. Luke tried helping him, but little good happened.

They broke off into duelling pairs for light combat before lesson started. Markus had the unfortunate draw of picking Luke. Even if he was new, he could still see that Luke was a very good swordsman. That still didn't stop Markus from trying though. He tried not to rely on the water given to him.

They had two fast matches, and were on the third one. Both times Luke won, though he did comment that he was getting better with a sword. Markus didn't see it though.

During their third match, they picked up a crowd, Luke wasn't trying as hard, but still pushing him. Markus deflected and blocked, but knew that he would be trounced in seconds. So he tried a different tactic. Markus threw his sword in the air, which probably was a bad idea. But he had a plan.

Predictably, Luke's eyes, and everyone else's, followed the sword briefly in the air. Thinking quickly, Markus lashed out, sweeping Luke's legs from under him. While a bit unorthodox, it _did_ work.

Luke fell, he sword landing on the ground. Before he could recover, Markus caught his sword that he threw in the air. Pointing it at Luke's neck, he held it there. "Yield?" he asked, feeling as if he actually won, even if he did cheat.

Luke smiled from under him. Moving quickly, he grabbed his sword, knocking Markus' out of his hand using some disarming maneuver. His sword flew and he was checked into the ground. Markus groaned at him landing on his back and blinked at seeing Luke's hand in front of him. "That was good, Markus, really took me by surprise." He commented, helping Markus up. "But you should've used a sword, not your feet."

"Well you never said we shouldn't," Markus rebutted, and Luke conceded.

As people clapped a bit at the match, Luke announced he would start the lesson and take Percy as his partner, since it was his first time.

"Good luck," one of the campers said to Percy. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."

"Maybe he'll go easy on me," Percy said.

The camper snorted and Markus replied, "Doubtful, though hopefully you'll do well." Percy nodded, his shoulders slumped.

Luke showed Percy thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, the boy got a little more battered and bruised. "Keep your guard up, Percy," Luke said, then whapped the younger boy in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now back!" Whap!

By the time he called a break, Percy was soaked in sweat. Markus checked on Percy to see if he was okay, but he tried to play tough, even though he was battered and bruised.

Everyone swarmed the drink cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head. Percy, seeing this, decided to do the same thing. But, when looking at Percy, he seemed all better, as if he got all of his energy back. Markus seemed to be the only one who noticed.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke roared. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."

Percy had a grimace on his face. Markus tried cheering him up by patting him on the shoulder, but it did little good.

The Hermes guys gathered around, all suppressing smiles. Markus sat near them, watching the match. He figured they'd been in Markus' and Percy's shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used Percy as a punching bag.

He told everyone he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: the same one he used on Markus before.

"This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."

He demonstrated the move on Percy in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of Percy's hand.

"Now in real time," he said, after Percy got his weapon back. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"

Percy nodded, and Luke came after him. Somehow, Percy kept Luke from getting a shot at the hilt of his sword. Percy stepped forward and tried a thrust of his own. Luke deflected it easily, as he narrowed his eyes like in the match with Markus. He started to press forward with more force.

Percy was moving a bit slower than when he started and then out of nowhere tried the disarming maneuver.

His blade hit the base of Luke's and he twisted, putting his whole weight into a downward thrust.

Clang.

Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of Percy's blade was an inch from his chest.

The other campers were shocked and silent. Markus was too, but he quickly broke out of it and applauded, "That was awesome, Percy! Whoo!" Hey, he had to give credit when due.

Percy lowered his sword. "Um, sorry." He blushed a bit, maybe at Markus' cheering, or the silence.

For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.

"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"

Percy seemed like he didn't want to, but Luke insisted.

This time there was no contest. The moment their swords connected, Luke hit Percy's hilt and sent his weapon flying and skidding across the floor.

After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?"

Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised Percy with new interest. "Maybe," he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword…"

It was Friday afternoon and Markus had just finished the climbing wall.

He got singed a bit, but managed to make it to the top. He definitely wanted to try that again.

It was free time and Markus was in the big circular arena, fighting off several Ares children with a sword.

After the sword-fighting lesson with Luke yesterday, Markus went up to him to ask for more training. Luke questioned why, but Markus said that he just wanted to improve.

So most of the times it was one-on-one with Luke or against Ares children. With Luke, he sometimes won the spars, but that was mostly because of his 'water boost.' With the Ares cabin, he won because of the boost and several tactics used that ended with each kid flat on his face.

Sometimes he sparred against Clarisse, who was eager for revenge against him. With each fight against her, he learned two things: one, despite her rude manner, she was a very good fighter. Markus lost several times, which ended with him being almost shish-kebabed and electrocuted. Oh, and two, her damn spear was electric.

He did however win against her sometimes, so that was a bonus. It was evident that Markus was getting better with a sword, but he wanted to be better. He went to the Hephaestus cabin at some point, and got a bronze shield for defence. He could barely lift it, however. To solve this, he usually did push-ups or used water as a boost to lift it. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

At other times, he was practicing with the water, trying to come up with different ways to use the water and shape it to his command. Surprisingly, he was able to form water spheres and small water shields as a result. It was small, but he was happy with that. Heh, he might even become a waterbender. He laughed at the thought.

Other times he talked with Silena or Katie or Annabeth. With Silena he went Pegasus-riding, chatting with the horses secretly, or just talking to her. With Annabeth he talked about reading Ancient Greek and battle tactics. While this did bore him, he was more interested in learning how to fight than tactics, which she helped him with. And with Katie it was just random stuff, either about camp or general life.

As Markus was walking around, he saw Percy and Grover by the pier. He waved, with Percy waving back and Grover responding weakly.

That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual. It was time for capture the flag.

When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and they all stood at their tables.

Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening grey, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree.

From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her siblings ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

Markus turned to Katie at table four. He asked if the teams were always Ares and Athena, but Katie said most of the time.

The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins.

Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, and the best slots for activities-in order to win support.

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite and Hephaestus. From what he'd seen, Dionysus' kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them.

Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive.

From Aphrodite, he didn't have to worry too much. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake, did their hair and gossiped. Hell, Silena was the only one he saw right now that was actually ready. When she saw him, she winked. Markus (thankfully) didn't blush, and waved in response.

Hephaestus' kids were rough looking, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day.

They might be a problem. That, of course, left Ares' cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids he'd ever seen. Otherwise, this was going to be a blast (note his apparent sarcasm).

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, and ox hide shields coated in metal.

Markus grabbed a leather tunic that was rough, not wanting to be weighed down by heavy armour. Then some greaves and armbands out of bronze. He grabbed a short sword that wasn't too heavy, but still not his style. Then he took a shield (which still weighed the amount of a bowling ball, but he managed).

Percy had a shield roughly the same size as him. He also seemed like he could barely lift it. He had a helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, which had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes. Markus himself had a blue bandana wrapped over his head.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

Blue team cheered and shook their swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at them as they headed off towards the north.

Markus rushed up towards Annabeth, who was talking with Percy, looking as if he was about to trip over his gear. "Hey." Percy said to her. "So what's the plan? Got any magic items you can loan me?" Markus noticed that her hand was hovering over her pocket when he asked that.

"Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"

"Border patrol, whatever that means."

"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan."

"And what about me?" Markus asked, eager to see where he was going to be.

She turned towards him and said, "You'll be joining Percy also."

"Joy. Thanks, Annie," Markus muttered, totally depressed on the shitty job. On the plus side, he was going to be near water, so that was a bonus.

She scowled crossly, as if he'd poked her between the eyes. "Don't call me Annie." She growled. Markus merely smirked. "Make me." He responded back. She pushed ahead, still majorly upset. He nearly laughed at that.

 **XXX**

Now into the game, Markus and Percy stood near the little creek that gurgled over some rocks. The two stood there for a little bit and groaned.

"I get it, border patrol is out of the way, so us newbies won't have to get in the way." Markus growled. After waiting a minute, he got impatient. "Fuck this," he muttered, and quickly zipped into the forest, leaving Percy on his lonesome.

As he went deeper into the forest, he came upon a few Demeter and Aphrodite kids. Upon meeting them, he didn't stop to chat. Markus fought them briefly and disarmed them, while knocking them out by shield-bashing them. Soon, more campers appeared, shocked at the easy take-down of their allies. Enraged, they charged at him.

Markus quickly got out a bottle of water, threw it and slashed it in mid-air. Now he was covered in water, boosting his abilities. Confident, he struck, taking out two Hephaestus kids, along with one or two Demeter kids also. Those smart enough tried attacking in groups, but it did little good. Markus was like a hurricane, slashing like crazy and dodging and weaving around attacks. Apparently one kid (who Markus could tell was an Ares kid he beat up in training) yelled and tried attacking. Markus quickly disarmed him and slammed the hilt of his sword into his forehead, knocking him out.

Upon seeing that all his attackers were down, he ran back to the creek. When he got there, he found that Clarisse and a few of her siblings were attacking Percy. Markus immediately knew that they were out for revenge. He just briefly heard Clarisse say, "Give him a haircut. Grab his hair."

Percy managed to get to his feet. He raised his sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Markus winced in sympathy for him, dealing with her electric spear.

"Oh, wow," Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared."

"The flag is that way," Percy told her. From what Markus heard, it sounded puny. He almost laughed.

"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid."

"You do that without my help," Percy growled out. It was obvious that that didn't help his case.

Before either of the group could fight, Markus leaped out. Still feeling the boost the water gave him, he struck out, swiping an Ares kid's leg by the flat of his blade, leaving the kid to eat dirt. Both parties were shocked at his appearance.

"Where the hell were you?" Percy yelled, looking perfectly fine now. Markus would ask about that later.

"Dealing with reinforcements," Markus said with a grin.

"Shit!" one of the Ares kids said. "Charge!"

Looking at each other, both boys nodded and got back to back. Both of them were standing in the creek. This obviously re-energized Markus, but he wondered why Percy was doing so. He was all healed up, and looked strong now; different from before.

 _Wait,_ Markus thought, thinking back on previous instances with Percy and water. _Could it be…_

Filing those thoughts later, Markus concentrated on the fight. Two Ares kids rushed Percy and he swung away their blades before hilt-slamming one in the forehead, while shield-bashing one in the face.

The other Ares kids rushed Markus, who smirked and ducked, sweeping their feet and making them land on the ground, knocking them out. Then he launched his shield at another, Captain America style. It hit the Ares kid's nose and smacked him down painfully. Markus winced. Okay, that was painfully.

He sliced another kid across the chest, a shallow cut. Then he disarmed them and elbowed him in the gut, knocking the breath out of him. Clarisse roared in rage and charged, her electric spear sparking.

Percy handled her easily. He caught the shaft of her spear between his sword and shield, then snapped it. She probably would have screamed, but Percy slammed his shield into her face, knocking her out cold.

Then they heard yelling, elated screams, and saw Luke racing towards the boundary line with the red teams banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollo kids after them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids.

Everyone converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. The blue side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned into grey. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everyone on the blue team picked Luke up and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.

The game was over. They had won!

The boys were about to join the celebration when Annabeth's, right next to them in the creek, said, "Not bad, heroes."

Percy and Markus looked around but couldn't see her. She then reappeared with her cap in her hand and said, "Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?"

It just registered to Markus that she was invisible, with what seemed like her cap being the cause. Percy said, "You set us up. You put us here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

Markus growled, not amused. "I don't like being a pawn. If you'd told us the plan, Percy or I would be better prepared. Instead you used us."

"I didn't-" Annabeth started, then stopped, looking at Percy's arm. "How did you do that?"

Pissed that she was dodging his question, he turned towards Percy's arm, intent on seeing what was going on. There was a small white scar that was quickly healing.

"Sword cut," Percy said. "What do you think?"

"No, it _was_ a sword cut. Look at it."

The 'wound' that was on Percy's arm, being all healed up.

"I-I don't get it," Percy said, shocked. The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was the white scar, and even that was fading, eventually disappearing.

Annabeth was thinking hard. She looked down at his feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy."

"What-"

"Just do it."

Sighing, hr got out and looked bone dry. He also looked to have the adrenaline rush gone. He almost fell over, but Markus caught him. Instantly he made the connection in his head. The water during the sword-fighting, the toilet explosion, and now the creek. "Holy shit," he breathed out, shocked. Percy was a son of Poseidon? He had a brother?!

"Oh, Styx," Annabeth cursed. "This isn't good. I didn't want… I assumed it would be Zeus…"

Markus didn't get to voice his agreement as a howl ripped through the forest, interrupting his thoughts.

The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which Markus understood perfectly as, "Stand ready! My bow!"

Annabeth drew her sword as Percy looked confused while looking up.

There on the rocks just above them was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers.

It was looking straight at Percy and Markus.

Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Guys run!"

The blonde had tried to step in front of both boys, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her-an enormous shadow with teeth-just as it was about to hit both either one of the green-eyed boys.

Thinking quickly, Markus pushed Percy out of the way, pushing him back safely. He had enough time to do that before it hit him. He fell down, the beast on top of him, shredding through him, tearing off his armour and hoping to pierce flesh. Panicking, Markus fumbled with his sword in his grip, which thankfully was still in his hand, and stabbed it into the hound's head.

It howled, more in anger than pain. Pleased with that response, Markus used that distraction and pushed, the hound falling to his side. It immediately responded, snarling and leaping up, ready to take a bite out of him.

Quickly grabbing a shield, Markus blocked, the force of the hound slamming into him, almost toppling him over and making his shield arm numb. Not giving up, however, he charged, the shield bashing into the hellish large dog. After doing that, he swung his sword in a wide arc, the blade catching the hound in the jaw and slicing through it clean. The monster howled, in real pain this time, then exploded into dust, coating the young boy in gold, and leaving a pelt of fur. Markus shook somewhat from his near death as a human chew toy.

He finally moved as he touched his body, feeling saliva and blood coating him, his armour torn to shreds. Chiron galloped over to check on him.

"Are you alright, child?" he asked gently.

"Still in one piece, so yeah." He nodded, and quickly moved to Percy, Chiron following him.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That was a hellhound from the Field of Punishment. They don't… they're not supposed to…"

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Luke came over, worry on his face.

Clarisse, who woke up from her 'nap', yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her, obviously not believing her.

"You're wounded," Annabeth told Markus. "Quick, Markus, you need help."

"No worries," he said, waving her off, and stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around him. Instantly, the wounds on his chest were closing up. Some of the campers gasped. But they weren't looking at him, they were looking above him and Percy.

Looking upwards, both boys saw an already fading symbol above their heads. Markus could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident.

"Your fathers," Annabeth murmured, looking back at Markus and Percy. "This is really not good."

"About time," Markus muttered silently.

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

All around them, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy.

"My father?" Percy asked, completely bewildered.

"Yeah," Markus answered him, clapping him on the back. "Which makes us… brothers."

"Poseidon," Chiron said. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail Percy Jackson and Markus Henderson, Sons of the Sea God."

' **Sup, everybody! How ya doin'?! Fine? Good! So, another chapter updated. Cool. So, just the typical story notice for a few things:**

 **I know it may seem like Markus is stealing Percy's spotlight and growing stronger than him. That's because he trains a bit more. And this is because of his fatal flaw (read the summary of the story to figure it out).**

 **I will plan to have both of them be a duo at some point, e.g. the fight against Ares and other future battles. They'll use their powers in tandem that fits them, don't worry.**

 **Next chapter is the revelation of Markus' 'magic side', and him training to use the Mist. He'll probably start practicing real magic either at the end of the quest, or the start of Book Two. Reason being, he'll have more experiencing using the Mist and in the time frame between next chapter and the start of the quest, he won't be able to learn battle magic fully.**

 **Read and Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

The next morning, Chiron moved Percy and Markus to Cabin Three.

The boys didn't have to share with anyone. They had plenty of room for all their stuff: the Minotaur's horn and Markus' new pelt of fur from the hellhound, two sets of spare clothes, and toiletry bags. Both of them got to sit at their own dinner tables, pick their own activities, call 'lights out' whenever they wanted to, and not listen to anybody else.

And they were both absolutely miserable.

To Percy, he felt isolated. Just when he had started to feel he had a home in Cabin Eleven and he might be a normal kid- or as you can be when you're a half-blood-he'd been separated out as if he had a rare disease.

Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but he got the feeling they were all talking about it behind his and Markus' back.

The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that both boys were sons of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill them. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe.

Percy noted that Markus wasn't really bothered by the whole mood the camp had. But he quickly noticed that the friends his brother, yes, his brother, now made… well, most of them had scattered from him.

Unlike Percy, Markus still had a few people, like Katie from Demeter, Charles Beckendorf from Hephaestus (who Markus made frequent visits to for his shield and hit it off) along with some of his siblings, Silena, and a few others.

The other campers steered clear from him as much as possible.

Cabin Eleven was too nervous to have sword class with both of them after what they'd done to the Ares kids, so their lessons with Luke became one-on-one.

He pushed them harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise them up in the process.

"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised, as all three were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions."

Annabeth still taught them Greek in the mornings, but seemed distracted. Every time either of the boys said something, she would scowl at them. After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest… Poseidon?... Dirty rotten… Got to make a plan…"

Even Clarisse kept her distance; though her venomous looks to both boys made it clear she wanted to kill her. Percy wished she would just yell or punch him or something! He'd rather get into fights every day than be ignored.

Markus, however, didn't leave himself alone. The fact that both boys were brothers made him want to know Percy more. Markus admitted that he wasn't that eager for a brother, saying that his mum was his only family, and he'd been alone for a long time. But he was willing to give it a shot. Markus said that he wanted to know the family he lost earlier.

Markus was in a conundrum right now. It wasn't the moody campers that were bothering him. He still talked with Percy, Silena, Katie and the others, so he was fine with that. He still trained a little with his powers, and even tried showing Percy on what he can do also.

No, what was bothering him was a dream he had recently. It wasn't the one with the eagle and the horse on the beach. It was where he met his second god: which was actually a goddess. He also learned more about his mother.

 _Flashback_

 _Markus remembered sleeping and waking up on a hillside. He immediately knew he was in a dream. He didn't know how he knew that. He just did._

 _In his dream he was surrounded by mist hanging in the air. Strangely it was hazy white, like smoke, but more purer in colour. It coiled and undulated, as if it were alive._

 _So, strange freaky mist on a hillside in a dream? Sure, why not? He was getting used to the weirdness he now lived in._

 _As the mist curled around his legs, the hairs on his arms stood up. He didn't feel any ominous danger from the mist, but he didn't relax._

 _As Markus looked ahead into the smoke, it clinging to him like freezer fog, the pale figure of a woman appeared suddenly. It was as if the smoke took solidified and formed into her. The woman wore a dark sleeveless gown. She had golden hair that hung loosely at her shoulders. Her image seemed to ripple, as if she were still made out of the mist that appeared. She looked about twenty-five, at least._

" _Markus Henderson," said the woman. This put him on the edge. He definitely didn't know this woman, but she obviously knew him. It wasn't just her saying his name that confirmed that; she looked at him with familiarity, like she knew him._

 _She was beautiful with an ageless air around her, like a statue. But she was also deathly pale. She had black eyes. She also had two old-fashioned reed torches, lit on fire._

 _The woman smiled serenely._

" _There is no need to worry, young one," she said. "You are in no harm."_

" _Who are you?" Markus asked, straight to the point. He didn't sleep just to get spooked out by some woman who appeared in his dreams._

" _I am Hecate," she said. "Goddess of magic."_

That _shocked him. He didn't expect to meet a goddess, much less in his sleep._

" _Oh," he said, feeling dumb. All that hype and it vanishes when he learns that she's a goddess. Well that just wouldn't do._

 _Feeling brave, Markus queried. "So why have you come to see me? I doubt a goddess would want to see me for no reason."_

 _Hecate nodded. "True, Markus. What I have to say is of great importance to you."_

 _He waited, about to listen to the news she was going to deliver to him._

" _You are like your mother," Hecate said._

 _That seemed to be a great shock, as he caught his breath at that sentence. "You-you knew her?"_

 _There was no way any goddess knew his mum. She died risking her life for him. She was his mother! There was just no way!_

 _Hecate nodded, seeing his troubled face. "Yes. I would not forget one of my disciples so easily. My champion, more so."_

" _Disciple? Champion?" The words didn't register to Markus. How could his mother be involved with Greek mythology? As far as she was with him, he never seen her leave him for long periods of time, or do anything out of the ordinary. So how._

" _I-I don't believe you," Markus decided, finding his voice after a while "There's no way my mum would be your disciple or your champion. It just doesn't make sense?"_

" _And Greek gods being alive does?" Hecate countered easily. "I know it may seem hard to believe, but it is the truth. Melissa Henderson was my champion; a very fine one at that."_

 _Markus just registered the use of his mother's name. "If… if that's the truth, then why didn't you save her when she was going to die?!" he yelled. Sure, it seemed probably wrong to yell at a goddess, but he couldn't help it. "If she was your champion, then why did you do nothing as she died?!"_

 _Here she looked remorseful, as if she regretted the decision. "Gods can't interfere with mortal affairs. I could do nothing but send minimal aid."_

 _Here Markus looked ready to roar in rage. That was her answer?! Because of some Ancient Laws?! She did nothing while watching his mother die and probably watch him suffer!_

 _Hecate, seeing this, raised her hand. "I understand your frustration, I do. Remember, she was my champion, too. I am sorry, but right now we need to talk."_

 _Markus looked ready to murder her, but then breathed in heavily and calmed down significantly. It wasn't easy, but he managed. "Okay," he breathed angrily. "If you knew my mum, then what do you want with me?"_

" _A promise," Hecate said, like that explained everything. Then she elaborated. "Before she died, your mother asked me to aid you in your perils. During your times alone, I warded off the monsters, using the Mist to hide you."_

" _The what?" Markus asked, confused. How can mist hid him?_

" _Not the normal mist, mind you," she explained. "But the Mist. Capital M- Mist. The veil that separates the mundane world from the supernatural one. The reason why mortals cannot see the monsters that roam around."_

" _Wait, if mortals can't see the Mist," Markus asked. "Then how come my mum knew about you? How she became your… champion?"_

" _Some mortals are clear-sighted. They can see through the Mist and see the gods and monsters as they really are. Your mother was such a mortal. As there are others."_

 _Markus nodded, digesting that thought. So his mum knew about all the gods and monsters and the Greek myths? Okay, he could understand that. Her being a goddess' champion… that was a little hard to take in._

 _Then a thought came to him. "Wait, if she was your champion, does that mean she knew magic?" he asked, intrigued. Hey, if she was a disciple of the goddess of magic, then surely she would have picked some stuff up from her._

 _Hecate nodded, looking seemingly pleased. "Yes. She was very talented with the arcane arts. If she were to have lived, then she would have possibly rivalled the likes of Circe and Medea."_

 _Markus recalled them being famous sorceresses from Greek mythology? His mum was really that awesome? He grinned. So not only was she an awesome mum, but also an awesome witch? Damn._

 _Then he turned towards the goddess. "Well, thank you, then, for protecting me," he said, feeling grateful for her protecting him from all the monsters. He was also thankful for his mum for protecting him by praying to a goddess for his sake. It almost made him cry, but he refused to do so._

" _So," Markus said, after a moment. "Will you teach me how to use magic?" It seemed like an unlikely thought, but come on. It was magic, something he was fascinated with for a while. Guess he knew why._

 _Hecate nodded, almost smiling. "Yes. Since your mother was in my circle, it is only right that you take her place."_

 _Markus grinned, childlike giddiness bubbling up into him. Then he thought of a question. "Wait, what terms would I have to follow for me to learn magic?" he asked, not wanting to be roped into any agreement without his full consent._

 _She nodded, looking impressed by the question. "While you wouldn't be my champion, per say, you do have magic in you. Therefore I, or my children, can train you in the arts of magic. Your first lesson would be to manipulate the Mist. Unfortunately, I cannot help you. My children, however, can. Go to my son, Alabaster. Tell him that I requested his help for you, and he will agree. He will show you how to use the Mist to your advantage. Later on, at some point, I will train you and show you how to use magic even further. Also, at some points I may call upon you for several requests. In return, I will reward you for your services."_

 _Markus nodded, liking all points. But then he had a statement about the last part. "Okay, I accept. But I get to pick the request needed. I don't want to agree to a suicidal death quest." It may seem like all this was a tall order. Still, he_ _was learning magic and getting stronger. So he wasn't complaining too much._

 _Hecate thought of his request for a moment, then nodded. "That is acceptable. I agree to those terms. Goodbye, Markus Henderson. I hope to see you soon."_

 _Markus would have probably said more, but the image of the goddess rippled, then blurred. The hillside he was standing on started coming apart, the Mist swallowing it up along with everything else. Then he felt himself waking up._

 _Flashback End_

Since that dream, Markus trained with Alabaster and the other Hecate kids. He was a tall kid, with short brown and calculating green eyes. When he told him about his dream with his mother, he immediately knew what he was talking about. Probably had the same dream. Alabaster gave Markus a book that all children or legacies of Hecate (or disciples, in the case of his mum and, he guessed, him).

Markus got several lessons about magic itself, as well as theory, and some control of the Mist. He seemed to pick it up rather quickly. Now he knew why he knew Latin so well; many spells were written in Latin. Maybe he somehow picked it up from his mother.

Alabaster also told Markus about the dangers of magic, and how, if not careful, a user's spells can do more harm than good. Other than that, he usually spent time with Percy or did magic training.

Percy was just chilling in Cabin Three when Markus opened the door, ripping what seemed to be a newspaper, a scowl on his face.

"What's that?" Percy asked.

Markus shrugged. "Just some dumbass trying to leave that for you. He's in the infirmary right now for that." He smiled mysteriously.

Percy was never felt so grateful to have someone at his back. "Thanks." He meant it.

"No problem," Markus said. "We're kinda all we have now."

That was true. Percy told Markus about the oath the Big Three took. Both of them weren't even supposed to be alive.

Markus talked to Percy about escaping the camp and going somewhere else, saying that he wasn't going to sit here and twiddle his thumbs over their supposed death.

He'd rather fight and die than be put down like a dog.

Percy agreed with him, but pointed out several flaws in his plans. Markus still didn't relent, though.

Then they started talking about their mums. Percy pitied him because of what happened to his mum, but Markus said he didn't want pity, that he was fine. Percy would then talk about blue food and cookies and Markus talked about his favourite pizza places.

They just continued talking about what they lost. Both of their mums sacrificed themselves for their sake. They weren't going to forsake that. It felt nice to be honest.

"So, wanna go train with our powers?" Markus asked. They both trained with their powers, Percy getting tips from Markus on how to use them. Markus managed to summon a small wave, while Percy only managed to summon small spheres of water. Markus told him that he just practiced more, and that Percy could do the same thing. Percy was just glad to have Markus helping him, liking the fact of having a brother.

Markus often teased Percy on the fact that he was the oldest by a few months, making him the older brother. Percy was fine with that, but what he wasn't fine with was being called 'baby brother' by Markus. He chased him around for that, but Markus just laughed it off.

The first time they trained with their powers, Markus pushed Percy in the water, telling him to stop being emo and get a wakeup call.

He was insistent that they needed to train to survive, and to use their powers.

"Sure." He shrugged and they both started walking, getting looks from all the other campers. Markus solved this by glaring at them, getting them to back off. They got to the sea, both stepping in and ready to practice. Markus advised him that they both could talk to the naiads for advice on how to use their powers.

Turns out that the naiads were really nice, offering them help when needed. Markus even had a small swimming race with them, losing most of the time but still having a laugh. They both got called milord, which didn't sit well with either of them.

After practicing making waves and shields out of water, along with some sword-training with Luke, night rolled in and it was time for bed.

"Night," Percy called out to Markus, who responded in kind.

Then they both seemed to have another bad dream.

They were on a beach, running along the grainy footing. Markus saw a city that wasn't New York. The buildings were spread apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.

A hundred yards down the water, two men were fighting. They looked like wrestlers; muscular, with beards and long hair as they stood, taller than humans.

Both wore flowing Greek tunics one trimmed in blue, the other green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.

Markus looked to Percy, but he rushed ahead, trying to stop the two men fighting.

Markus stood there, knowing it was pointless. He knew it was a dream, but certain dreams had meaning. Just like the eagle and the horse from before, these men were fighting as well. Markus realized that these were Zeus and their father, Poseidon. It was the same with the horse and eagle.

The wind picked up, and it looked like Percy was running in place on the sand. Markus didn't bother, knowing that it was pointless to stop the two immortals from fighting.

Over the roar of the storm, he could hear the blue-robed one yelling, _Give it back! Give it back!_ Like a whiney baby wanting a toy.

The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying both boys with salt water.

The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned Markus' blood to ice.

 _Come down, little heroes,_ the voice crooned. _Come down!_

The sand split beneath the boys, opening up a crevice straight down to the centre of the earth. Their foot slipped, and darkness swallowed them.

Markus woke up, jumping to his feet. Percy was awake as well, reacting almost the same way. Markus looked to the window, seeing the dark clouds outside, showing it was night. Thunder rolled across the hills as the storm was coming.

There was a knock on the door of the cabin. Percy went to answer and saw that it was Grover. "What?" he asked.

"Mr. D wants to see you both," he said, looking gloomy.

"Why?"

"He wants to kill- I mean, he just wants to talk to you."

Nervously, Percy exchanged a grimace to Markus, who nodded back to him.

For days they'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Just for being alive when they weren't supposed to be. The other gods had probably been debating the best way to punish them for existing, and now Mr. D was ready to deliver the verdict.

Over the Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in the boys' direction. Percy asked Grover if they needed an umbrella.

"No," he said. "It never rains here unless we want it to."

Percy pointed at the storm. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

"Well someone's in a mood." Markus said, getting a nervous look from Grover as a boom was fired off. Seems his uncle heard his comment.

He scoffed in the direction of the storm, as if the threat wasn't serious.

The storm, however… this one was huge. Definitely not of the normal kind.

At the volleyball the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs.

Dionysus' twins were walking around the strawberry fields, making plants grow.

Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.

The trio walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had the first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents, two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrities."

Both children tensed. Markus' eyes scanned over the room, looking for ways out if necessary.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortals, just because old Barnacle-Beard is both your father."

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.

"Nonsense," Dionysus assured. "Boys wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning both of you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D-" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option, but it's deadly foolishness."

Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boys are still here when I get back, I'll turn them both into Atlantic bottlenoses. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, Markus Henderson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible option than what Chiron feels you must do." He warned.

Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. Like a credit card.

He snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, and then he was gone, leaving the faint smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Markus scoffed. "Such a warm greeting from our resident god. Such a role model," he muttered sarcastically.

Chiron smiled at the boys, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, Markus, please. And Grover."

"How do we know that we aren't walking to our chopping board?" Markus said distrustfully.

Chiron sighed, somewhat understanding his reasons. "Markus, they are not intending to kill you."

"Yeah, because Dionysus gave such a good impression," Markus said sarcastically. He seemed to be doing that a lot.

"I understand your distrust, but this is a matter of great importance." 

Chiron laid his cards on the table, Markus and Percy sitting down.

"Tell me, both of you," Chiron said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Just hearing the name made Percy shudder, while Markus flinched a little.

"It scared me," said Percy honestly. "If Markus hadn't push me out of the way, I would've been in his situation." Here Percy winced, and looked apologetically at Markus, but he waved it away, not bothered by it.

"Don't worry," he said. "I chose to take the hit for you. So it's fine." Then he turned to Chiron. "I agree with Percy. I was… scared. If I didn't strike at that moment, I'd be dead." Here Markus said that honestly and a bit shamefully, at himself.

Chiron gave a sad smile at that. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, my boy. Many campers couldn't have done what you've done. But you'll meet worse, you two. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done… with what?" Percy asked, hesitant.

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?" Chiron asked Percy and Markus.

Percy glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.

"Um, sir," Percy said. "You haven't told us what it is yet." 

"Yeah. It's good to get all of the details before we agree." Markus said.

Chiron grumbled. "Well, that's the difficult part, isn't it? The details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the end of the beach. As far as they can see, the sky and the sea were melding together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable… something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

Percy looked flustered. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And… I've been having these dreams." Then he looked towards Markus. "Have you had these dreams too?"

Markus nodded. "Yeah. They're the same as yours. And I came to the same conclusion as well. I think that's why we were claimed."

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush, satyrs," Chiron ordered.

"But it is their quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his beard. "Nevertheless, both of you are correct. Your fathers are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed nervously. "A what?"

Markus thought for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Wait, are you serious?" he asked, the answer coming to him.

"Yes, Markus. It seems you know what I'm talking about." Chiron said to him. Then he turned to Percy. "Do not take this lightly. I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"How does he lose it? Why did he lose it?" Markus asked, his voice full of disbelief. What, was Zeus such an airhead that'd lose his most important weapon? He probably lost it in the clouds or something.

"Oh," Percy said dumbly.

"Zeus' master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheared the top of Mt. Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?" Percy asked with a gulp.

"Stolen," Chiron said.

"By who?"

"By whom," Chiron corrected. "By you two." He pointed to Percy and Markus.

Both boys blinked. "Say what, now?" Markus stated, confused.

Percy's mouth went open.

"At least"-Chiron held up a hand-"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The typical nonsense; 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized that his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room right under his nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly- that is most forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero or two to have taken it."

"But I-we didn't-"

"Patience and listen, child." Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious." Here Markus rolled his eyes, mentally disagreeing with him. "The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of the lightning bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing he wasn't sure about was which hero or heroes Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you both as his sons. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could have easily snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thieves."

"But me or Markus have never even been to Olympus. Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around them, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over the valley, sealing the area like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy…" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"I agree with him," Markus said. "There's no way either of us could be the thief. I was homeless for seven years and Percy was with his mother before all this. Hell, we didn't even _know_ about Greek mythology existed until recently. Hecate can vouch for me on my part."

"Hecate?" Here Chiron looked puzzled. Then shook his head. "While I do agree with you on your behalf, Zeus is paranoid. Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe it was question thirty-eight on your final exam…" here he looked at Percy knowingly.

"Something about a gold net?" Percy guessed with surprising remembrance. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods… they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

"Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the bolt. He took great offence at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months. And now you both have come along-the two proverbial last straws." 

"But we're just kids!" Percy argued strongly.

"Try telling that to their faces and see what happened," Markus said, knowing it would be pointless.

"Percy," Grover cut in. "If you were Zeus, and you thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered two new mortal heroes who might be used as weapons against you… wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

Markus snorted. "Kinda hypocritical of him to say, since he had a kid before Poseidon did?" he said, having been told the story of Thalia from Percy and Grover.

Grover looked sheepish at that.

"But we didn't do anything. Poseidon-our dad-he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Percy asked.

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try to convince Zeus that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief on the same date, June twenty-first, ten days from now. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrivals have inflamed Zeus' temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, there will be war. And do you boys know what a full-fledged war looks like?"

"Uh, bad?" Percy guessed.

"Disastrous," Markus said. "Chaotic. Destructive. Stop me if I'm getting closer."

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Like Markus said, destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western cilvilzation turned into a battleground so big it makes the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad," Percy repeated.

"And you, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson, would be the first two to feel Zeus' wrath."

It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.

"So Zeus is punishing the whole camp because he can't find his electric toothpick," Markus said. "So we need to get it back."

"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the sons of Poseidon return Zeus' property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" asked Percy.

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression turned grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago… well, some of the lines make sense to me. But before I can say more, you both must officially take the quest. This is a problem, since there usually isn't two leaders for a quest, but given the circumstances, this is an exception. You must seek the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell us where the bolt is beforehand?" Percy asked.

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

Markus crossed his arms. "I'm no coward. If I have to get Zeus' toy back so war between the gods doesn't break out, I'll do it."

He looked towards Percy for confirmation. "You'll help me, right?"

Percy looked nervous, but determined. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm with you."

"You agree then?" Chiron asked.

"Yeah," both boys agreed.

"Then it's time to consult the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs to the attic. When you come down, assuming you're both still sane, we will talk more."

Both boys stood and started to go upstairs.

 **XXX**

Markus and Percy went up four floors that ended under a green trapdoor. Percy pulled the cord and it swung open to reveal a ladder. The warm air above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else… something reptilian.

The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armour stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things-severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters. A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake head, but with horns and teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTICK, N.Y., 1969.

By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. There was a tie-dyed sundress on it, with lots of beaded necklaces-the hippy kind-and a headband over long black hair. She looked shrivelled and dried up. Her eyes were glassy white, like marble slits. Both boys were freaked out, though Markus didn't show it.

Then, a green mist poured out of the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils. Markus compared it to the Mist-unnatural smokes that seemed dangerous, but at the same time, not. The mist hissed like thousands of snakes.

A voice hissed in both their heads. _I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seekers, and ask._

Percy seemed freaked out by this. Markus put a hand on his shoulder to help him. He was freaking out too, but hid it better.

The green mist didn't seem evil, like the Mist. Both were mysterious. Both seemed powerful. But not necessarily evil.

At the same time, both boys asked, "What is our destiny?"

The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of them. Suddenly there were four men sitting around a table, playing cards.

The mist swirled again, taking the form of a woman. When Markus looked upon the woman, he was shocked. And he almost wanted to sob.

Melissa Henderson stood in front of him. She had flowing black hair and warm chestnut eyes. Her features were wizened by age, but nevertheless, she still looked beautiful in his opinion. She even had that mischievous smirk that she always had. Markus guessed that was where he got it from.

He nearly broke down and cried. Even though he grieved in his own way over her death, seeing her again brought back memories; memories of his time together with her. It made his heart break even more. He probably would have broken down if not for the fact that he knew that the woman before him wasn't real.

The man in the middle, who Markus guessed was Smelly Gabe from the way Percy described him, turned towards them and spoke in the raspy voice of the Oracle: _You shall go west and face the god who has turned._

The guy on the left threw two poker chips and said, _You shall find what is stolen, and see it safely returned._

His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice, _You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend._

The other buddy delivered another message, _And you shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend._

Markus' mum gave the final line, _The mystic son of the sea shall make a decision. One that will affect him gravely in the future._

The figures began to dissolve and as the mist retreated, Percy cried out, "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?"

The tail of the mist retreated into the mummy's mouth. Then she returned back into her original position, leaving both boys alone. Their audience with the Oracle was over.

 **XXX**

"Well?" Chiron asked them with a raised eyebrow.

Percy and Markus slumped into the chairs. Percy responded first. "She said we would retrieve what was stolen."

Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great."

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

Percy shivered a bit. "She-she said we would go west and face the god who has turned. We would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it," Grover said.

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?" he asked sternly.

"She said that the mystic son of the sea would make a decision," Markus said, still out of it from seeing his mother. "One that would affect him gravely in the future."

All eyes turned towards him. Markus didn't need anyone telling him that he was the one the Oracle was talking about. What decision would have serious consequences in his future? Would it be bad things? Or possibly good things? He wasn't that hopeful on the last part.

Chiron looked deep in thought. "Well, it appears you are the one the Oracle was talking about. But where does the 'mystic' part come in?"

"My mum was in service with Hecate," Markus explained. "She came to me about an offer on magic. I've been learning from the Hecate kids."

Chiron nodded, but still looked troubled. Markus was unsure why.

Then he studied both expressions on the boys. "Very well. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

Percy squirmed a bit, with Markus looking unsure, but the words were accepted.

"Okay," Percy said, anxious to change the topic. "So where do we go? Who's the god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed.

Markus, after thinking for a minute, replied, "Hades. But isn't that a bit obvious? As well as stereotypical to blame our uncle?"

"Ah, but think about it, Markus," Chiron said. "He is someone who harbours a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the death of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath both have broken. The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

Markus shrugged, not really buying into it. Sure, Hades may have been sort of a bad guy, but that didn't automatically make him the culprit. Actually, why would Hades want to cause war if millions would die, filling his kingdom up even more?

A scrap of aluminium fell from Grover's mouth. "Wait, what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron said, telling Markus. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

Markus blinked. "Okay, didn't know that."

"Yes, but-but Hades hates _all_ heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he found out that both Percy and Markus were sons of Poseidon…"

"A hellhound appeared into the forest," Chiron continued on. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone from this camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy or Markus to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill these two half-bloods before either could take on the quest."

"Great," Percy muttered tiredly. "There's two major gods who want to kill me."

"Cheer up, bro," Markus reassured him. "Not even two weeks into this world and we have gods pining after our heads. That's something to be proud of."

Percy looked at him with a deadpanned face. "No, it really isn't."

"But a quest to…" Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt have been in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year?"

"Hades sent a minion to steal the bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy and Markus must go into the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

Markus looked to Percy, who seemed to be a bit overwhelmed. Understandably so. Markus shook his shoulder, getting his attention. "Percy," Markus said. "You're not in this alone. Whatever shit we deal with from Zeus or Hades or whatever god, we got each other. I got your back. Don't forget that, okay?"

Percy nodded, smiling as he did so. He seemed to draw strength from his words. "Thanks," he muttered. Markus nodded.

Then he looked towards Grover, who was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips. The poor guy needed to complete a quest with them so he could get his searcher's licence. But how could either boy ask him for this quest, especially when the Oracle said they were destined to fail?

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy said to Chiron. "why can't we tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Yes, because a gigantic brawl in the Underworld would benefit all of us greatly," Markus muttered sarcastically.

"Markus speaks the truth. While suspecting and knowing aren't the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if other gods suspect Hades-and I believe Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods can't cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere; challenge anyone, as long as they are bold and strong enough to do it. No god can be held accountable for a hero's actions." Upon seeing the look of contempt on Markus' face, he queried. "Is something wrong, my boy?"

"Yeah," Markus said. "I just don't like the idea of being called a hero."

"Oh, and why is that?" Chiron asked, intrigued.

Markus shrugged. "A hero… is someone who is willing to do anything for anyone at the expense of himself. That's what I believe. To be called a hero when I've done nothing… just doesn't seem right. Hell, I'm almost sure most of the demigods here haven't done anything hero-worthy. I'd rather be called a hero for something I've done rather than because of who my parent is."

Chiron pondered his explanation, before nodding, "That… is an interesting aspect. One not many are willing to see to that level. I am inclined to agree with you."

"You're saying we're being used," Percy interrupted, bringing the conversation back to the main point.

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you both now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

Markus scowled, not pleased. Poseidon ignored him and Percy for twelve years, and now suddenly he needs them? Especially with the death of one of his mother involved, Ancient Laws be damned.

Percy looked towards Chiron. "You've known we were sons of Poseidon all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said… I have spoken to the Oracle too."

Percy just gave him a look but decided to drop the matter for now.

"So let me get this straight," Percy said slowly. "We're supposed to go to the Underworld to confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Uh huh," Markus nodded.

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, ten days from now."

"That's about right," Chiron nodded.

Percy looked at Grover, who gulped down an ace of hearts.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" Grover asked weakly.

"You don't have to go," Percy told Grover. "I can't ask that of you."

"Neither can I," Markus offered. "I have to make sure my baby brother doesn't screw up."

"I hate you so much."

"No you don't. You love me!"

"Oh…" the satyr shifted his hooves. "No, it's just that satyrs and underground places… well…"

He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminium off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If… if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

Percy looked pleased. "All the way, G-man." He turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said go west."

The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?"

Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

"Oh," Percy said. "Naturally. So we take a plane-"

"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have either of you been on a plane in your life?"

Both sons of Poseidon shook their heads.

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You both are the sons of the Sea God. You're father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you on an aeroplane. Thankfully Markus has never been on one. You would be in Zeus' domain. Neither of you would come down alive."

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.

"Okay," he said, determined not to look at the storm. "So we travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said. "Two more companions may accompany you boys. Grover is one. The other has volunteered, if you will accept her help."

"Huh," Markus said, sharing a glance with Percy. "Who would be dumb enough to volunteer on a quest like this?"

The air shimmered around Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap in her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain, squid head," she said to Percy, then Markus. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

Markus rolled his eyes playfully. "We feel the love, Wise Girl. We really do."

Her cheeks darkened. "Do you want my help or not?"

"A quartet," Percy said. "That'll work."

"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that wasn't supposed to have violent weather.

Markus rolled his eyes. Zeus had to stop being so pissy.

"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."

 **Evening, readers! Yes I say evening because this was uploaded in the evening. So, another chapter. Yippee! Bring out the wine, let's celebrate! …Anyways, the story's still going on. Chapters will be uploaded. My OC will finally be able to use magic. Yeah, a lot is going on, which is good. So… yeah. Thanks.**

 **Read and Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Markus left Cabin Three, feeling not so eager to go on this quest.

Nevertheless, he was packed and ready to go. Katie (bless her soul) gave him a backpack with a toothbrush, ambrosia and nectar, ten gold drachmas, fifty U.S. dollars in mortal money, as well as some spare clothes.

The drachmas were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of several Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas were silver, Chiron told him, but Olympians never used less than pure gold.

Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions. The ambrosia and nectar were given in the case of emergencies. It was god food, Chiron reminded him and the others. It would cure almost any injury, but lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a demigod very, very feverish. An overdose would burn them up, literally.

Markus also received a new gift, courtesy of the combined work of Cabin Nine and Ten. It was made from the hide of fur Markus got from the hellhound. Apparently it still had properties of the hellhound. This included hiding using the shadows. When Markus learned this, he was ecstatic. Finally, some good to come from the attack.

Cabin Ten provided the material, which was a large, black aviator jacket that helped fit to his size as he continued to grow. He gave Silena a hug for helping the most( which he was a bit embarrassed about). Her cabin started to tease him about it, but he ignored it.

Cabin Nine melded the hide and the jacket together, making it some sort of armour. Charles Beckendorf helped with this a lot. He even added properties to it that made it like armour. Markus was very grateful for that.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told him had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mum.

She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. Percy said he was sure the knife would get them busted the first time they went through a metal detector.

Grover wore his fake feet and pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket were a set of reed pipes his daddy goat carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded like dying cats on reed pipes.

The questers waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Chiron was waiting for them in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer guy both Percy and Markus saw while recovering in the sick room, the one with the many eyes.

According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so he could only see on his hands, face and neck.

"This is Argus," Chiron told the kids. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

"…Chiron, don't make jokes. Ever." Markus deadpanned after hearing that. The centaur looked sheepish at that.

The group heard footsteps behind them.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. Markus chuckled, getting her to glare at him, but he just chuckled heartedly.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told them. "And I thought… um, maybe you could use these."

He handed Percy the sneakers, which looked pretty normal to him.

Luke said, "Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much he dropped them. Markus was freaked out too. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. A gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…" His expression turned sad.

Percy looked shocked at the gift and seemed a bit embarrassed. "Hey, man," he said. "Thanks."

Luke turned towards Markus. "Sorry I couldn't get you a pair, Markus. I only had one, and I didn't know who to give it too…"

Markus waved it off. "It's fine." He wasn't really bothered by it. He wasn't into flying anyway because Zeus was pissy about who entered his domain.

"Listen, guys…" Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes bare riding on you. So just… kill some monsters for me, okay?"

He shook hands with both boys.

Then he patted Grover's head between his horns, and also gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out.

After Luke was gone, Percy told her, "You're hyperventilating."

"Am not." Annabeth argued weakly.

"Aw, does little Annie have a crush on Lukie?" Markus teased, dodging a hit from the girl.

"Shut up! Why do I want to anywhere with either of you boys?"

With that, Annabeth stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.

Percy picked up the flying shoes and seemed to get a bad feeling. He looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air… that would not be wise for you."

"Why did Luke give you them, anyway?" Markus asked, curious. Luke had to know flying for them would be disastrous, didn't he? It wouldn't make sense taking to the air, like Chiron said.

Percy shrugged, then nodded, disappointed. Then he got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

His eyes lit up. "Me?"

Pretty soon they'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch.

"Maia!" he shouted.

He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny bulls.

"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"

"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like he was possessed, heading towards the van.

Before to two could follow, Chiron halted them. "I should have trained you both better," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training."

"That's okay. I just wish-"

Percy stopped himself because he was about to sound like a brat. He just wished his dad had given him a cool magic item to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible or Markus' new jacket.

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this."

He pulled out a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to Percy. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.

"Gee," Percy said dryly. "Thanks."

"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

He is Neo, Markus thought jokingly.

He then saw Percy take off the cap and half a second later, he held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"Riptide," Percy repeated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

Both children looked at the sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?" Percy asked.

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mt. Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature of the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply aren't important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know."

"Now recap the pen."

Percy touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. He tucked it in his pocket, looking nervous.

"You can't," Chiron said knowingly, smiling.

"Can't what?"

"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."

Percy looked wary, but threw the pen as far as he could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told him. "Now check your pocket."

Sure enough, the pen was there.

"Okay, that's extremely cool," Percy admitted with a smile. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"

Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?"

"The magical veil that Hecate controls," Markus spoke, a bit jealous at Percy's weapon. "It keeps mortals from seeing gods and monsters. Since we're demigods, we can see it better."

Percy nodded and put back his pen in his pocket.

Chiron noticed Markus' sullen expression and smiled. "Now, now, my boy. I haven't forgotten you." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a keychain that looked more like a normal chain.

The keychain was bronze and had a small symbol of a sword onto it.

He handed it to Markus and as soon as he touched the sword symbol, it elongated into a normal-sized sword. The sword was three feet, dual sided and made of celestial bronze also. It looked like a normal broadsword, but had Greek carvings into it. The blade itself was a foot and a half long as the handle took up the rest of the size.

There seemed to be gems decorating the hilt, like Riptide, but these seemed larger, like pearls. Where the hilt connected to the blade, there was a small symbol of a trident engraved into the part there. The good thing was that it felt light in his hands **(A.N. – If you want a better image, imagine Rebellion from Devil May Cry, only sleeker, smaller, and instead of the skull, it has the symbol of a small trident)**.

Markus swung it around, getting a feel of it. This seemed sexy, like getting-a-new-car kind of sexy.

"This was a last-minute gift from Poseidon, apparently," Chiron said. "Its name is Kymatothráfsti."

"Wavebreaker," Markus translated, liking his new weapon.

"It's different from normal weapons," Chiron explained. "While wielding it, it imbues you with a small part of the power of the sea, empowering you. As a son of Poseidon, it is you're birth right. Also, it was made from the depth of Atlantis, strengthening your magic also."

"Wait, Atlantis is real?" Markus asked, awed. His weapon was fucking badass!

Chiron nodded. "Apparently. Also, Atlantis was a place of magical properties, which makes sense because of your magical heritage. So while it strengthens your Poseidon powers, it also strengthens your mystic powers as well."

"…This sword is so badass," Markus said, shocked stupid at his weapon's origin and power. He gained a twinkle in his eye and gave Percy a smug look, saying Poseidon gave him a more cooler weapon.

Percy rolled his eyes, though he did agree, he was a bit envious.

"Though if you lose it, you lose it. It's not enchanted." Chiron noted.

Now it was Percy's turn to look smug while Markus pouted, but was still happy with his weapon. He then placed it near his chain and it immediately turned into a figurine again.

With all that said and done, it was time to go. The chilling feeling of, yes, this was happening, had settled in. They were heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if they used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.)

And all they had were their weapons that could fight off from the land of the dead.

"Chiron…" Percy said. "When you say the gods are immortal… I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."

"So what was it like… before the gods?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."

"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So… even if we failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?" Percy asked in one breath.

Chiron gave him a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that they should return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."

"Our destiny…" Markus muttered, not liking the fact that his life was dictated by an outside force.

"Relax," Chiron told them. "Keep a clear head, you two. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"Relax," Percy said. "I'm very relaxed."

"Cheer up, mate," Markus snarked, slapping his brother on the back. He got a glare for that, but just laughed anyway.

When both boys got to the bottom of the hill, they looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on the highway again. Markus felt nostalgia, seeing the streets, remembering he used to live in them. It was so weird how a trip to Greek mythology can change your view on how you live so differently. It all just seemed like a fantasy.

Markus was sitting shotgun, while Annabeth and Grover sat with Percy at the back.

"So far so good," Percy told Annabeth, breaking the silence. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

Markus just groaned. "Dammit, Percy! Don't jinx us like that."

Annabeth agreed with him, giving Percy an irritated look. "Yeah, it's bad luck to talk like that, seaweed brain."

"Remind me again, why do you hate me and Markus again? I know about Markus, he's annoying…"

"Screw you, Percy," Markus grumbled, scowling.

"… but why?" he finished, smirking at his brother.

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look… we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents our rivals."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. "We're not our parents, so we shouldn't hate each other based on that."

"True," Percy nodded to his brother's point.

She sighed. "How many reasons do you two want? One time my mum caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mum created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"Still not seeing the reason why you don't like us," Markus said. "If you hated Poseidon for that, then fine. But don't pass the blame onto the kids for their parents' crimes. Not really 'child of Athena' material there."

Annabeth scowled, like he just insulted her, which he probably did.

"They must really like olives." Percy concluded.

"Forget it."

"Now if she'd invented pizza, that I could understand."

"Amen, my brother!" Markus exclaimed, reaching out to high-five his brother, who responded in kind.

"I said forget it!"

In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back winked at Percy.

Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped them at Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from where Percy said he lived. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with his picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?

Percy ripped it down before the others could notice it.

Argus unloaded their bags, and made sure they got their bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Markus noticed that Percy was looking off into the distance, probably thinking of home.

Markus slapped Percy's back, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Don't worry man. We'll get your mum back."

"I know," Percy said with a small smile.

Grover walked up beside them, shouldering his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction Percy was looking.

"You want to know why she married him, Percy?"

"Huh? Were you reading my mind or something?"

"Just your emotions." Grover shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking of your mum and stepdad, right?"

"That is a pretty useful ability," Markus said.

"Your mum married Gabe for you," Grover told him. "You called him 'smelly,' but you've no idea. The guy has this aura… Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him in a week."

"Thanks," Percy deadpanned. "Where's the nearest shower?"

Markus was pointing to a random direction with his finger in response to his statement, but Percy smacked him lightly, getting him to snicker.

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepdad smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff of his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mother stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy-if that makes you feel any better."

Percy just continued looking into the distance, thinking on what Grover said. Markus put his hand on his shoulder. "A mother will do anything to protect their child, Percy," he told him. Markus already told him the story of his mother getting Hecate to protect him. "Be proud of that, Percy. We'll get her back."

Percy nodded, looking sad and determined at the same time.

The rain kept coming down.

They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Percy wasn't too bad himself. Markus managed to do well also.

The game ended when Percy tossed the apple towards Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one huge bite, their Hacky Sack disappeared into the belly of the goat boy. Grover blushed. He tried to apologise, but the demigods were too busy laughing it up.

Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board, Grover started to look around, sniffing like a bloodhound.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

"Or maybe not," Markus replied in response. He looked around with narrowed eyes, Annabeth doing the same while Percy looked over his shoulder.

They finally got on board and sat at the back of the bus. They stowed their backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

As the last passenger got on, Markus noticed something odd. Annabeth also noticed, as she clamped her hand on Percy's knee.

"Guys," she said in a tight whisper.

An old lady was boarding the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a small paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, Markus saw Percy flinch as he withdrew back into his seat.

Behind her came two ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. They were dressed like three demonic triplets.

They sat in the front, behind the driver. The two in the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but the message was clear: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and they headed through the bustling streets of Manhattan.

"She didn't stay dead long," Percy said in a shaky voice. "I thought you said they can be dispelled for a lifetime." He looked towards Annabeth with a look.

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay," Annabeth said. She was thinking in overdrive. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" she suggested.

There wasn't one. Even if they did get out, they'd be trapped in the coming tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth said. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist." She looked towards Markus. "But you can manipulate it, right?" she asked in urgency.

Markus thought about it, then shook his head. "If it was one or two people, then sure. All of them? I only got roughly a couple of days training with the Mist. I doubt I could do it with a group." This caused her to curse.

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" Percy suggested.

Annabeth thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on the mortals to help. Maybe an emergency exit on the roof…"

After thinking about it, Markus had an idea.

As it got quiet, the orange hat one got up and spoke in a fake tone to everyone: "I need to use the restroom."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it." Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat. Markus, you-Markus?" she looked to him, but he was gone.

"He left us," Grover said, stunned.

"No," Annabeth said. "At least… I'm pretty sure he didn't." She turned towards Percy. "Come on, take it." She said to him.

"What?"

"You're one of the two they want. Turn invisible and go down the aisle. Let them pass you. Get to the front and get away."

"But what about Markus?"

"Don't worry." Here she looked unsure, and troubled. "I… I'm pretty sur he has some plan." Her voice was shaky.

"But you guys-"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us. You're a son of one of the Big Three. Same as Markus. With both of your scents, it might work."

"I can't just leave you guys," Percy said sternly. Like Markus, he thought bitterly.

"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"

Percy took the cap shakily and put it on.

He marvelled at not being able to see his body, and began to creep up the aisle. He got to about ten seats before he ducked into an empty seat as the Furies passed him.

Mrs Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at him. His heart was pounding rapidly. Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going.

He was free.

Percy made it to the front of the line. They were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. He was about to press the emergency stop button when he heard hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies weren't old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same-guess they couldn't get any uglier-but their bodies shrivelled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat wings and hands like gargoyles. Their handbags turned to fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, screaming, _Where is it? Where?_

"They're not here!" Annabeth yelled. "They're gone!"

The Furies raised their whips. But before they could strike, or Annabeth and Grover could get their weapons out, one of the Furies shrieked and exploded into gold dust. The two Furies were startled at this, as were Annabeth and Grover.

Percy didn't have time to think on that. What he did was so impulsive and dangerous he should've been labelled ADHD poster child of the year.

The bus driver was distracted; trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror.

Still invisible, Percy grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left.

Everybody howled as they were hurled to the right, and he heard what was hopefully the other Furies smashed against the window.

"Godammit, Percy!" Markus shouted out.

He turned briefly to see Markus with Wavebreaker in his hand, his aviator jacket still on, standing behind the other two Furies. Now Percy understood what happened: Markus took out one of the Furies while he was invisible. He probably would've taken care of the others if Percy hadn't interfered.

"Hey!" the driver said. "Hey-whoa!"

They wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed into the side of the Lincoln Tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks into the air.

Somehow the driver found the exit, shooting off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights. They ended up flying down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to the left, the Hudson River to the right, and the driver seemed to be veering towards the river.

Another great idea: Percy hit the emergency brake.

The bus screeching, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. He stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.

The two Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans.

They tried striking Markus, but they kept hitting the sleeve of his armoured jacket, protecting him. Then he cut the whip off of him with Wavebreaker and tried stabbing them.

Percy looked at the open doorway. He was free to go, but he couldn't leave his friends. Percy took off the invisible cap. "Hey!"

The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at him, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea.

Markus immediately backpedalled away from the monsters, right in front of Percy.

The orange hat one stalked up the aisle, every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather.

Her ugly sister hopped on top of the left sided seats and crawled towards both boys like a snake.

"Perseus Jackson, Markus Henderson," Mrs. Dodds said in a heavy accent. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a maths teacher," Percy told her.

"Fuck you, you old hag," Markus hissed out.

The old bat growled at them.

Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.

Percy drew his ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword.

The Furies hesitated.

Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.

"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," Percy said.

"Guys, look out!" Annabeth cried. Markus moved away just in time, but Percy wasn't that quick.

The Fury lashed out with her whip around his sword hand while the other Fury lunged at him.

Percy hissed in pain, his wrist felt on fire but managed to not drop Riptide.

Markus sliced the whip clean through, getting Mrs. Dodds to stumble back. The one coming on the left lunged, but Percy swung his blade. As soon as his blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.

Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backwards while Grover ripped the remains of the whip out of her hands.

"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds' legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her wings, so she kept falling down.

"Zeus will destroy you! Hades will have your souls!" she promised to both of them.

"Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled.

Markus looked at him in disbelief. Did he really just say, 'Eat my pants!' in Latin? That was all he could come up with? There were hundreds of different insults he could've said!

Thunder shook the bus. The hair on the back of the boys' neck.

"Get out!" Annabeth yelled at them. "Now!" They didn't need any encouragement.

Finishing the job, Markus cleaved down, striking Mrs. Dodds and turning her into gold dust. He wasn't going to leave a job half-assed. Besides, she probably would've regrouped or something.

He followed the others, rushing outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!"

A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped Percy's photograph before he could recap his or Markus' sword.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof.

"Run!" Annabeth said.

They rushed into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, nothing but darkness ahead.

"Well," Markus said. "That was certainly eventful, wouldn't you agree?"

"Markus!" The three yelled out in exasperation, or anger, or both. Markus just laughed it off.

 **Hello to all! Lovely to see you… I mean hear from you again! The story is still going, which is good. Hope you like the additions of the aviator jacket with the hide of the hellhound. It's something that just came to me quickly, so I put it down. I also hope you like the new weapon I gave my OC. Sorry if the Greek doesn't translate properly, I copied it from Google translate. Hopefully it's good. Also, I'm not sure Atlantis is part of the PJO books, or if it's magical. But for the sake of the story, it is.**

 **Also, a couple of notes: additions to the harem. Now I know I haven't added any new additions lately, but I was concentrating more on the story line. The romance will come later. So the additions are:**

 **Hestia**

 **Artemis(possibly)**

 **Athena**

 **Aphrodite**

 **That is the goddess part of the harem. It was something one of the reviewers suggested, so why not? I can make it work. Also, I apologise if the story is a bit dull, due to it following the canon route. I just needed something solid to write on. There will be more action in the future, and deviation from canon, don't worry. And the part I mentioned, about other pantheons like Hindu and Shinto? I haven't forgotten about them. They will occur later in the future. Trust me, it will happen.**

 **See you all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

In a way, it's nice to know there are Greek gods out there, becuase you have someone to blame when things go wrong.

For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monsters and struck by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day.

So there they were, Markus, Annabeth, Grover and Percy, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank. Markus helped by using the small lighter he had with him always, guiding them through the woods-though not fully visible-as the glow of New York City making the night light sky yellow behind them, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in their noses.

Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

Percy was pretty much in shock himself. The explosion of bus windows still ringing in his ears. But Annabeth kept pulling them along, saying: "Come on! The farther we get, the better."

"All our money was back there," Percy reminded her. "Our food and clothes. Everything."

"Well maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight-"

"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"

"You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine."

"Sliced like sandwich bread," Grover put in, "but fine."

"Shut up, goat boy," Annabeth said.

Grover brayed mournfully. "Tin cans... a perfectly good bag of tin cans."

Markus growled. "Enough!" he shouted, startling everyone. He was really getting annoyed by the arguing. "I still have my bag, with my money and everything, so we're fine."

"Oh... that's good," Percy commented. "Wait, on the bus, why did you disappear?"

Markus glowered at the thought. "I didn't disappear. I turned invisible with my jacket. With it, I would have killed one, then another over all the surprise. The last one could have been dealt with by Annabeth or me. Then we could have escaped using the Mist."

"You thought of all of that when you saw them?" Annabeth asked curiously.

Markus puffed up his chest a bit. "Of course. I _am_ considered a genius."

By her scoffing, she probably didn't believe him, but whatever. He still had a plan.

He then turned to Percy. "By the way, what the hell is wrong with you?" he asked incrediously. "You nearly killed us and the mortals killed?!"

He winced. "Okay, I'm sorry. I just needed a plan to save you guys."

Markus looked as if he was about to rant, but then he sighed, losing all the tension he had. "It's okay," he muttered. "Besides, I would have done the same thing. With a bit of flair, of course."

Both brothers laughed at that, leaving Annabeth and Grover to look bewilderedly at the two.

After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to Percy. "Look, I…" Her voice faltered. "I appreciate you coming back for us, okay? That was really brave."

"We're a team, right?"

She was silent for a few more steps. "It's just that if you died… aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over… or Markus could take over the quest. And also, this may be my only chance to see the real world."

The thunderstorm had finally let up.

The city glow faded behind them, leaving them in almost total darkness besides Markus small lighter.

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" he asked her.

"No… only short field trips. My dad-"

"The history professor."

"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home." She was rushing her words out. "At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monster the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not." She said, her voice wavering only the slightest.

"You're pretty good with that knife," Percy praised.

"You think so?"

"Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay by me." He grinned at her, getting to see a smile in the wand light.

"You know," she said, "maybe I should tell you… something funny back on the bus…"

Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"

He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff.

"Gods, my ears," Markus grumbled, the other two hearing him.

They kept moving and started to see a bright light up ahead: the colour of a neon sign. They could smell food. Fried, greasy food.

It was then that Markus realized he hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since he'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where they lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut-nymph-prepared barbecue.

Of course, living on the streets made him not really picky with what he ate. Sometimes he didn't care if what he ate came from a five-star restaurant; he'd still eat it.

They kept walking until they saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and greasy smell.

It wasn't a fast food restaurant like they thought. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that.

The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for the demigods to read, because if there's anything worse for dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English.

To them it read: ATNYS MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM.

"What the heck does it say?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said, as Markus shrugged his shoulders.

Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

"Thanks Grover." Markus said, relieved.

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.

Percy crossed the street, having food on the mind.

"Hey…" Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar," the blonde agreed.

"Are you two crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird."

"Well with garden gnomes in place, of course it's weird," Markus said. "But we have no choice. We need to stock up." Even though he agreed with Grover that this place was weird. Like, danger weird.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.

"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

They stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

That made alarms ring in Markus' head. He already wasn't eager to go in. Experience on the street taught him to never accept stuff from strangers. They might be paedophiles or psychopaths. Those were experiences he was _not_ willing to share.

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Annie, Grover is a satyr. His nose doesn't _get_ clogged up. Also, take my advice: we should leave. Go find some other place." Markus warned.

It was a testament to how entranced she was that she didn't respond to how to him calling her 'Annie.'

"Meat!" Grover said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminium cans," Percy reminded him.

"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are… looking at me."

They didn't listen as they approached the door.

Grover turned to Markus. "You believe me, right?" he asked pleadingly.

Markus paused, thinking about their situation. Markus trusted Grover's nose: if he said there was monsters, there was bound to be some monsters. Plus he still wasn't feeling eager to go to the warehouse.

"Let's just be careful." He said to him.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall Middle Eastern woman-at least, one could assume she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black guaze, but that was all one could make out. Her coffee-coloured hands looked old, but well manicured and elegant, so one could imagine that she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're… um…" Annabeth started to say.

"We're orphans," Percy said. Markus glared angrily at him for that remark.

"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"We got separated from our caravan," Percy continued. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

They thanked her and went inside.

Annabeth muttered to Percy, "Circus caravan?"

"Always have a strategy, right?"

"Your head is full of kelp." Annabeth pointed out.

"You could have at least gone for something more believable," Markus said. " I've got experience in this. You should've let me take the lead. Also, be prepared for when shit blows."

"How do you know?" Annabeth questioned.

"Plot line and Murphy's Law," he answered, confusing the others. Hell, Markus didn't even know what he said.

The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Seriously, you had to have some huge property to display these things.

They walked in and the group barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow them, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind them.

They finally made it to the dining area at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Awesome," Percy said.

"Um," Grover said, "We have some-yeow!" he yelped when Markus kicked him discreetly. "I mean, we don't have any money."

Aunty Em seemingly smiled and said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

Markus thought that she was the nicest supposed paedophile/psychopath he's ever met.

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said politely.

Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old women relaxed just as quickly.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful grey eyes, child."

Markus gave the woman an odd look.

How'd she know her name? They hadn't introduced themselves.

The group brushed off the worries, as they were hungry.

The hostess disappeared behind the snack bar and started cooking. Before the group knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes and XXL servings of French fries.

Percy was halfway through his burger, looking as if he didn't need to breathe.

Annabeth slurped her shake in happiness.

Markus looked at the food, not feeling hungry, even if he was. He took sips from his water bottle, rejuvenating him.

Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.

"What's that hissing noise?" he asked.

Percy listened, but didn't say anything. Annabeth shook her head. Markus tensed at that.

"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears." He answered.

"That's admirable, dear. But please, help yourself." She insisted. "Markus, you too."

"I'm not feeling hungry," he responded. He noted that she ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched the four children eat. It was a little unsettling, the way she stared at them. Percy decided to make some small talk.

"So, you sell gnomes," Percy said.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on the road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built… most cars, they do not go this way. I must cherish every customer I get."

Percy then turned around, as if someone was looking for him. He turned his gaze to the statue of a young girl with an Easter basket looking at him. What was weird though was the look of terror on her face.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked.

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. That is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that you couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

Annabeth stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters."

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a… boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

Markus didn't really think much on that, if it weren't for that story. _That_ was when he started to think. Hissing. Statues. Two sisters. From all the study from Greek mythology, he came to one conclusion.

He gasped, but covered it quickly by a chocking sound, pretending it was because of the water he drank.

"Are you okay?" Aunty Em asked in concern.

"Fine. Just drank too quickly," he responded. Thinking quickly, he asked, "Uh, do you have more food?" he asked, hopeful on the inside.

"Of course, dear," Aunty Em said, standing up and briefly turning around.

"Got ya!" Markus swiped the food off the table, sending it flying. He then pushed the table, which flew into Medusa. He probably got the extra strength from the water. The table also smashed into several statues.

"Markus!" the group shouted.

"Medusa! It's Medusa!" he told them quickly, fumbling with Wavebreaker on his keychain.

"Really?!" Grover asked hopefully. Wait, Markus read that wrong. It was actually fearfully.

"Yeah!" He shouted back. "Scatter! Try to kill her! Go!"

Markus ran, leaving the others behind him, trusting that they got the message quickly. While running, he willed himself to turn invisible using his aviator jacket. He hid himself among the remaining statues and leftover food dispensers. The sound of hissing was in the air.

He gripped Wavebreaker in figurine form, making it elongate into sword form. His hunger wasn't really helping with his nerves. He waited several moments.

Markus heard movement behind him, and he swung, Wavebreaker ready to cleave through whatever, hopefully Medusa, was behind him. However, it seemed to hit air.

Confused, he whirled quickly. Then a voice hissed, "Markus! It's me!"

He relaxed, recognizing the voice. "Damn, Annie. Don't sneak up on me."

"Sorry," she whispered, invisible. "Listen, we need to take Medusa out."

"No shit, Sherlock," he responded, hefting his sword on his shoulder. "Let's not waste time then."

"It's going to be hard," she said. "I think the food was drugged. I feel sluggish."

"I told you so. You don't take food from strangers."

"...You can't be serious. Gloating, right now?"

He shrugged. "Well, I _did_ warn you. And you should have listened to Grover. So much for Athena always having a plan."

"…I hate you. So much."

"Love you, too, Wise Girl. In the meantime, I'm gonna kill me a gorgon."

Markus was about to go, but he felt Annabeth's hand clamp on his shoulder. "Wait, Markus. She's dangerous."

Markus rolled his eyes. "You don't think I know that? Look, I read the myths. I just have to not look in her eyes. And I have the perfect plan to take her out."

"How?"

He smirked. "Good old-fashioned trickery."

He ran out, still invisible. He started whooping and yelling. "Yoo-hoo, over her, bitch!"

There was a guttural roar and a snarl. He really wasn't eager to meet Medusa. "Come out here, boy. Join my collection. You and your brother would make a fine statue."

"Sorry. I'm not into old hags who seem butthurt about their relationships. Maybe change your hair, maybe that might convince me."

She roared, and Markus followed in the direction of the roar. He came around a corner, paused, then used Wavebreaker as a mirror to see the reflection of Medusa. He made sure to not look at her face, and instead focused on everything else. Her hair was moving, the tiny snakes wreathing and biting at air.

She seemed to be talking to Percy. "The Grey-Eyed One did this to me, Percy." Her voice sounded like that of a soothing grandmother. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth called out. "Fight it, Percy!"

"Silence!" she snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy. You and your brother need not suffer."

"… Percy, we have to kill her! I don't want to be assaulted by a paedophile who's still hung up about our dad!"

Medusa growled in response to that, as if considering making Markus into a statue was worth it or not.

"No," Percy said firmly.

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen when you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

"Percy!" Grover's voice was heard, coupled with a buzzing sound. "Duck!"

Both sons of Poseidon turned, and saw the flying satyr in the night sky, his winged shoes fluttering, holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat. His eyes were shut, his head twitching from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone.

"Duck!" he yelled. "I'll get her!"

That got both boys to immediately duck.

Thwack!

"You satyr!" Medusa roared in rage. "I'll add you to my collection!"

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back as he came in for another hit.

Ker-whack!

"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake hair hissing and spitting.

"Hold her right there, Grover!" Markus yelled, bringing out several water bottles from his bag. He brought them up, then slashed them in mid-air. Using the water that was suspended, he willed it to turn into spikes, sharp enough to pierce through stone. With a yell, he sent them hurtling towards the gorgon, piercing her ribcage and legs.

"Arrrgh!" she yelled, louder this time, in pain. "Damn you, boy! I shall crush your statue instead of savouring it!"

"That was all kinds of wrong, lady!" Markus yelled in response. He then started taunting her. "Come and catch me, old hag! Those years of making statues and pining after Poseidon make you fat?!"

She just roared in response, chasing after him. Grover followed her, striking her continuously with the branch. Eventually she had enough. When he came in for another strike, she grabbed the branch, setting him off course, and landing into the statue of a grizzly bear.

"Ummph!" he sounded in pain.

Medusa seemed like she was about to lunge at Grover, but Markus just kept yelling, "Come on! It's me you want!"

Deciding he was the easiest prey, she quickly ran after him, following him through the maze of statues.

Markus kept running, still invisible. He didn't dare look back for fear of turning into stone.

"Why do you continue to run, Markus?" she shouted after him. "You only continue to prolong your suffering! With me, it would only last a moment!"

Yeah, and then I'd be a statue for eternity, Markus thought.

He had another crazy idea, but it just might work. He ran into a corner, quickly using the Mist to create a copy of himself that was visible. He'd come a long way into manipulating the Mist the way he was doing. Markus remembered to thank the Hecate kids later. Normally he wouldn't have been able to do this, but thanks to Wavebreaker, the boost he received was sufficient.

Medusa came upon his Mist clone, glee appearing on her face. As her eyes glowed, Markus made it as if his clone was slowly turning into stone. He was careful not to look at her face, otherwise he'd end up with the same fate.

As his clone finished turning into stone, Medusa cackled loudly. "I told you, boy! Your suffering has ended! Now you can join me as a statue for eternity! Maybe I should crush you into little pieces for your insult!"

"Not today, bitch!" Markus yelled behind her, his sword ready to swing. He quickly snuck behind her when she turned his Mist clone into stone.

She turned, stunned to hear his voice, but it was too late. Markus swung, a slickening _shlock_ echoing around the maze, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern-the sound of a monster disintegrating. The petrified clone vanished also.

Something fell to the ground next to his foot. Markus definitely didn't want to look. He could feel the warm ooze soaking into his sock, the little tiny snakes still hissing and snapping.

Feeling disgusted, he removed his aviator jacket and, carefully, wrapped the head up without looking at it. He didn't know if Medusa's eye power worked or not, but he wasn't willing to find out.

Navigating his way to the group, he saw Grover still recovering from his crash-landing, and Percy and Annabeth standing to one side, looking worried. When they saw him with the head wrapped in his jacket, they looked relieved.

"I thought you were done for!" Percy exclaimed, looking happy.

Markus feigned looking hurt. "You didn't have faith in your older brother to kill the hag? I'm hurt, Percy."

Percy looked like he was about to apologize, but Annabeth interjected. "So, where's Medusa?"

"Dead," Markus answered. He held up the wrapped up head. "Her head was all that was left. Now I'm going to have to wash it!" He grimaced in disgust at that.

She nodded, relieved. "Good. The head can still petrify you. Good job."

"Hey, I said I was going to kill her."

With that victory achieved, Percy turned towards Grover, who looked as if he'd recovered from his landing.

"The Red Baron," he said. "Good job, man."

Grover grinned bashfully. "That really wasn't fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun." He said, as he snatched the shoes out of the air. Markus and Percy recapped their swords. Together they made it out of the warehouse and back to the dining area.

They found some old plastic grocery bags and double wrapped Medusa's head. Markus was sad because his jacket was used to wrap a monster's head. They plopped it on the now right side up table where they'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.

Finally Percy said, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"

Annabeth flashed him an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you and Markus as a nice statue. She still sweet on your dad. You two probably reminded her of him."

Percy's face was burning, a tight frown on his face. "Oh, so it's _my_ fault we met Medusa."

"Actually," Markus spoke up. "It was both your faults, since Grover and I warned you two. And you both thought of your stomachs first before thinking. But don't worry, Percy. The blame doesn't solely fall on you."

"Oh, so it's my fault," Annabeth scowled at him.

He just shrugged. "If you want to take it like that, then sure." He said with an innocent look that no one believed.

Annabeth looked like she was going to continue arguing, but Grover pounded his disguised hoof on the ground.

"Okay, enough. Seriously, I'm getting a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do about the had?" he asked.

Percy stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS.

What had Medusa said?

Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue.

Percy was angry, not just with Annabeth or her mum, but with all the gods for this quest, for getting them blown off the road and in two major fights the very first day out of camp. At this rate, they'd never make it to L.A. alive, much less before the summer solstice.

Percy had a thoughtful look on his face and got up. "I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth called after him. "What are you-"

But he left, going off into the side.

"Wonder what he's doing?" Markus asked nobody in particular. He picked up the wrapped head and managed to get his jacket out of the bundle(which was very hard to do).

Percy came back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:

The Gods

Mount Olympus

600th Floor

Empire State Building

New York, NY

With best wishes.

Percy looked to his brother. "You want to sign too?" he asked with a grin, knowing he was pissed about it too.

Markus grinned in response. "Yeah. But let me add my own personal note first."

After fiddling around with Riptide, transforming it into a pen that writes(how convenient), he wrote his own note, saying:

Dear gods,

My quest with my friends is turning out a little terrifying. Uncle Thunderbeard Zeus, me and my brother have sent Medusa's head as a gift. Anyways, Zeus, I just wanted to tell you that we didn't steal your nightlight. Stop being so dramatic about it all! Anyway, tell our dad, Poseidon, we said fuck you. Oh, and don't forget to calm your ass down and solve it like a man.

Sincerely,

Markus Henderson, son of Poseidon.

After reading his note, the group paled. It was way more offensive than what Percy wrote.

"You can't write that!" Grover exclaimed fearfully. "You'll get smote instantly! Retract it, please!"

"Nope." Markus said, shaking his head. "I'm angry, and I'm being truthful. If Zeus doesn't like it, tough. Plus, I'm sticking it to Poseidon at the same time!"

Percy just shook his head. "Sometimes, Markus, I think you're more of a rebel than me."

Markus looked at his brother for a moment. Then he grinned. "Baby brother, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me! I'm touched!"

They both laughed, high-fiving each other. Then Percy poured the drachmas in, along with their notes, and sealed it closed. There was a sound like a cash register, the package floated off the table and into the air with a _pop._

Both boys looked at Annabeth, daring her to say something. She didn't. She looked resigned to the fact that both boys loved pissing off the gods. Markus more so. "Come on," she muttered. "We need a new plan."

 **That's a wrap, readers! So, I hoped you liked my new chapter! Yay! Sorry Markus took the kill and not Percy, but I wanted to make the scene more interesting. No offence to Riordan or anything, he's a genius, but the scene was a bit bland for me. So I changed it.**

 **Well, hopefully I'll update soon. Also, a big shout out to all those who favourited this story and who followed it! It makes me want to write more! Keep doing that! Plz! Love you all!**

 **Read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

They were doing pretty good for the night.

They camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids have obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

Markus was able to help everyone else set up properly, figuring it was the least he could do. He also tried cleaning some of the rubbish, with no clear success.

The group made some bags out of some of Aunty Em's clothes. Markus cleaned his aviator jacket with some water and left it to dry, hopefully ridding it of the stench of Medusa. They didn't light a fire, not wanting to attract more attention to themselves.

They decided to sleep in shifts. Percy volunteered to go first.

Annabeth curled into a bag and was snoring as soon as her head hit the ground.

Grover fluttered with his flying shoes to the lowest bough of a tree, put his back on the trunk, and stared into the night sky.

Markus was lying on the ground, eyes open and also watching the sky, seeing the almost-covered stars above.

"Go ahead and sleep," Percy said to both of them. "I'll wake you if there's trouble."

Markus shrugged listlessly on the ground. "No thanks. I'm used to this type of environment. No big deal."

Grover nodded, but still didn't close his eyes. "It makes me sad, guys."

"What does? The fact that you signed up for this stupid quest?"

"Preach it, brother," Markus muttered.

"No. This makes me sad." He pointed to the trash Markus cleaned up. "And the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

"Oh, yeah. I guess you'd be an environmentalist."

Markus rolled his eyes, sitting up. "Wow, real sensitive there, dumbass."

Grover glared at Percy, seemingly agreeing with Markus. "Only a human wouldn't be. Your species is clogging up the world so fast… ah, never mind. It's useless to lecture a human. At this rate, I'll never find Pan."

"Pam? Like the cooking spray?"

"…You're an idiot, Percy." Markus said after a moment. Even he knew who Pan was, and how much it meant to Grover. He started to wonder if hanging out with Percy would affect his IQ.

"Pan! P-A-N. The great god Pan! What you do think I want a searcher's license for?"

A strange breeze rustled through the clearing, temporarily overpowering the stink of trash and muck. It brought the smell of berries and wildflowers and clean rainwater, things that might've once been in these woods.

Suddenly Percy was nostalgic for something he'd never known.

"Tell me about the search," he said.

Grover looked at Percy cautiously, as if he were afraid the boy was just making fun. Then he turned to Markus, having the same look. He just nodded understandably, not going to judge him.

"The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he told them. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he's hidden, and wake him from his sleep."

"Wait… so, what happens if you don't find Pan?" Markus asked, intrigued.

"You die like my father and Uncle Ferdinand, the satyr you saw before." Grover said solemnly. "They knew the risks. Hopefully, I'll be the one to find him. The first in two thousand years." They fell silent after that. Then Percy asked, "And you really think so? That you'll be the first satyr in two thousand years to find Pan?"

"I have to believe that, Percy. It's the only thing that gives us hope. The only thing that keeps us going."

"And you'll find him." Markus said to him, glaring at Percy briefly. Did he want to kill the guy's dream or something? He could understand being sceptical about it, but there's no reason to doubt him. While Markus wasn't much of an optimist, having hope wasn't a bad thing. "If you believe that you'll find him, truly believe, then you will."

Grover nodded gratefully to him. "Thanks, Markus."

There was silence for a while, then Percy asked a question. "So, how are we going to get to the Underworld? What chance do we have against a god?"

"I don't know. But while you were ahead of us, Annabeth said-"

"Oh, I forgot. Annabeth will have a plan all figured out for us." Percy rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so hard on her, Percy. She's had a rough life, but she's a good person. After all, she forgave me…" Here, Grover's voice faltered.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. "Forgave you for what?"

Markus thought about it for a while, then thought back to what Chiron told him, about Grover's last assignment five years ago. Annabeth was at camp for five years. This lead to him coming to a conclusion. "Thalia." Markus said at last. "That was your last assignment, taking care of Thalia. And I guess Annabeth is a part of it too."

Grover's head was down, looking depressed. Markus hated making him feel like that. "I… I don't want to talk about it." He seemed so sad, like he was going to cry. Then he sobered up a little. "But as I was saying, Annabeth and I agreed there's something strange going on with this quest. Something isn't as it seems."

"Well, duh-me and Markus are getting blamed for stealing a thunderbolt that Hades took."

"Markus and I," Markus corrected cheekily.

"Oh, shut up." Percy scowled.

"That's not what I mean." Grover said. "The Fur-the Kindly Ones were sort of holding back. Like Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy… why did she wait so long to try to kill you? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they could've been."

"They seemed plenty aggressive to me." Percy commented.

Grover shook his head. "They were shrieking at us: 'Where is it? Where?'"

"Asking about both of us," Percy said.

"Maybe… but Annabeth and I, we both got the feeling that they weren't asking about a person. They said, 'Where is _it?_ They seemed to be asking about an object?"

"That doesn't make sense."

"I agree. What's the point of Hades having the bolt if he's asking about it?" Markus asked.

"I know. But if we've misunderstood something about this quest, and we only have nine days to find the master bolt…" Grover said, looking at the boys, hoping for an answer.

After a beat of silence, Percy sighed. "Guys, I haven't been straight with you. I really don't care about the lightning bolt. I am going to the Underworld so I can get my mum back."

Markus nodded. "We already know. I support you for that. All I care about is hoping not to get smote by someone who can't even look after their own toy properly. The same applies to you for me."

Grover also nodded. "I know. Are you sure that's the only reason you're going? Both of you?" Here he looked at both boys.

"I'm not doing it to help my father. He doesn't care about me. I don't care about him."

Ditto," Markus agreed, scowling. "I don't need him. I've survived twelve years without his help. If I live that long, I'll survive twelve years without him."

Grover gazed down from his tree branch. "Look, guys, I'm not as smart as Annabeth. I'm not as brave as you. I'm not as strong as you, Markus. But I'm pretty good at reading emotions. You both are glad that you're dad is alive. You feel good that he's claimed you, and part of you wants to make him proud. The feelings aren't as strong in Markus, but it's still there. That's why you mailed Medusa's head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you and Markus had done."

Markus was silent, then he glared at Grover. "Look, Grover. I haven't known you as long as Percy has. I think you're a good person. And I'm not doubting your ability. But let me tell you something." Here his glare increased in severity, and Grover flinched. "Don't _ever_ presume to know me. You don't know me well enough, so don't act like you do just because you have emotion sensing powers. My dad could drop off from the face of the planet, and I wouldn't bat an eyelash." Was his cold reply.

The conversation ended at that. Neither of the other boys said anything else.

Then Grover looked at the night sky, like he was thinking about something. "How about I take first watch, huh? You get some sleep."

"But…" Percy tried to argue but Grover just started playing his reed pipe. It was a Mozart melody, nice and sweet. He grumbled a bit and made his way to where the blankets were, next to Annabeth.

As Markus was about to go to bed, he turned to Grover. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to snap at you. I was just… angry."

Grover just shook his head. "It's okay. I know you were angry, so it's no bother."

After nodding gratefully at him, Markus made to go to bed, near the others. As he was about to sleep, he noticed Annabeth's condition. She was shivering. He didn't know if it was because of the cold, or some nightmares.

Wanting to help her, he got his aviator jacket (dried up and clear of monster gunk) and spread it over her, covering her. He didn't know if it was going to work or not, but he noticed that she stopped shivering and snuggled into the jacket more.

Content, Markus fell onto his blanket and promptly drifted off to sleep.

As he slept, he dreamt that he was standing in a dark cavern, overlooking a gaping pit.

Great, Markus thought. More dreams.

Grey mist figures churned all around him, whispering rags of smoke that he knew somehow were the spirits of the dead.

They tugged at his clothes, trying to pull him back, but a force kept dragging him to the edge of the pit.

When Markus looked down, the pit yawned so wide and was so completely black, that he knew it was bottomless. Remembering his myths right, he assumed that this was the pit Tartarus.

He had a feeling that something was trying to rise from the pit, something vast and sinister. It made him get the supposed chill down his spine.

The little hero, an amused voice echoed far down in the darkness. Too weak, too young, but perhaps you will do.

Markus bristled, not sharing the voice's sentiment of amusement. He tried to put a brave face on, but he could feel it cracking.

The voice felt ancient, cold and heavy. It wrapped around him like sheets of ice.

They have misled you, boy, the voice said. Barter with me. I will give you what you want.

Markus didn't know where he got the courage from, but he immediately found himself replying, "Sorry, I was told to never converse with strangers or paedophiles. I hope you understand."

Cold laughter echoed from the chasm. It sounded like a stereotypical evil-villain kind of laughter. How cliché.

Markus just shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, creeper. I'm not interested in any monologue you have. I don't want to join you, so don't bother asking. Try again next time, with a better performance, mind you."

As the boy meant to turn away from the pit, the voice grew hungrier. Help me rise, boy. Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!

He just shook his head. "Nope. Nada. Zero. Net. Nein. As many times as I say it, no. Bye-bye!"

I can revive your mother.

That line stopped him cold. He faltered, then berated himself for dwelling on that.

The voice laughed, as if it had a hold over him.

Markus started running, but he felt like he was standing still, locked in place. He realised that the thing in the pit wasn't trying to pull him in. It was using him to pull itself out.

Good, it murmured. Good.

Wake! The dead whispered. Wake!

Someone was shaking him.

His eyes opened, and it was daylight.

"Well," Annabeth said. "The zombies live."

"Funny, Annie." Markus responded, looking over to Percy. He seemed to have the same expression as him: confused and worried.

They had the same dream, they could feel it.

Percy asked Annabeth, "How long were we out?"

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast," Annabeth said, tossing them each a bag of nacho-flavoured corn chips from Aunty Em's snack bar.

"Yum," Markus muttered, briefly forgetting about his current dilemma.

"And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."

Both boys looked to Grover, who sat cross-legged on a blanket with something fuzzy in his lap, a dirty, unnaturally pink stuffed animal.

No, it wasn't a stuffed animal. It was a pink poodle.

Markus already pitied the thing. "Oh, you poor thing," he said to the dog. "Who could do such a cruel thing to you?" he got up and petted the animal behind the ear.

The poodle leaned into his touch, but yapped at Percy suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he isn't."

The boy blinked. "Are you… talking to that thing?"

The poodle growled.

"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?"

"I think that was really obvious, Percy," Markus said.

Grover ignored the question, however. "Percy and Markus, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy and Markus."

"Hi," Markus said to the dog.

Percy stared at Annabeth, figuring she'd crack at the joke they were playing on him, but she looked deadly serious.

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," he said. "Forget it."

"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. Markus said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."

The poodle growled.

Percy said hello to the poodle.

Markus snorted. "Pussy whipped." He commented, amused. He even made the whipping motion, getting Percy to glare at him.

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he'd do it if it meant helping Grover.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy asked.

"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."

"Of course," Percy said. "Silly me."

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."

"Wise Girl, I think we've learned by now that nothing is ever simple," Markus said, exasperated.

She flushed, as if suddenly remembering that.

Percy thought about his dream – the whispering voices of the dead, the thing in the chasm, and his mother's face, shimmering as it dissolved into gold. All that might be waiting for them in the west.

"Not another bus," he said warily.

"No," Annabeth agreed.

She pointed downhill, towards train tracks that they hadn't seen last night in the dark. "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that away. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."

The group nodded and set forth.

As Annabeth and Grover moved ahead, Markus fell back with Percy.

"You heard it too, right?" Percy asked, voice shaking from the memory of the dream.

Markus nodded his eyes grim. "Percy, don't listen to that thing, okay?" he said sternly, his instincts screaming at him to turn and run far, far away from that thing. He hated to feel helpless like that.

"It had my mum," he told him, his hands clenched.

"It said it can bring mine back to life," he told him solemnly. Percy looked at him, astonished. "I'm telling you, Percy. Don't listen to that thing, no matter what. Got that?" Percy nodded his head in agreement to that.

"I'm not really looking forward to finding out what's in the west," Percy said.

Markus nodded in agreement. "Me too."

As the group set out, Markus reached up to Annabeth. "Hey," he said. "Can I have my jacket back?"

She suddenly blushed, remembering she was still wearing it. It looked good on her, Markus noted.

She removed it, and then handed it to him. She pursed her lips while doing so. "What?" Markus asked, while taking his jacket and putting it on him.

"…Last night, I… I had a nightmare about something," Annabeth mumbled. Something they both could agree on. "When I woke up… and saw your jacket covering me, I… I knew it was you that put it there. So, thank you."

Markus shrugged. "No problem. Don't think too much on it, Annie. Just worried, I guess."

Annabeth blushed, and then rolled her eyes. "Idiot."

"Love you too, Wise Girl."

She glowered, and then smiled. She was so confusing at times. "Well, anyway, thanks for that."

"No problem." He said. Then he added, "You look good in it, by the way."

He didn't understand why he said that part. Apparently, Annabeth had the same thought, though her face was starting to look like a tomato.

Then Markus pointed in the direction the others were going. "Come on. Let's go."

Annabeth followed, smiling a bit along the way. Markus had no idea why.

 **Hello to you all! Kronium345 here, busting out a new chapter! …It kind of feels redundant to this every time I post a new chapter, but what the hell! So anyway, the story continues, which is good. Also, in most of the upcoming fights, Markus will have other opponents to fight, so as to not battle** _ **every**_ **monster or opponent there. It won't be for all fights, but for some.**

 **Just to let you know that! Again, a big shout out to all those who reviewed, favourited, or followed this story. Thanks so much!**

 **Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

They spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.

They weren't attacked once, but the group didn't relax. Who knew where an attack could come from?

Percy and, apparently, Markus had to keep a low profile since their pictures were tagged at the greyhound incident and were in the paper for it. Both boys looked like they a bat or something. Percy looked like he had a wild look on his face while Markus had a smug look on his.

"Don't worry," Annabeth told them. "Mortal police could never find us." But she didn't sound so sure.

The rest of the day Percy spent alternately pacing the length of the train looking out the window. Markus joined him in this also.

Thankfully, he still had a spare change of clothes along with all of his stuff, so he was fine.

Percy spotted a family of centaurs travelling, one kid the size of a second grader. He was on a pony, and waved in response to Percy's wave. The other people didn't even notice them as they looked at their laptops or phones.

Another time, both boys saw a lion. Markus wondered if it was a normal lion or mythological. If so, he'd guess that it'd be the Nemean lion. Markus wondered if he were to wrestle it, and get a new coat. He dismissed the idea eventually.

Their reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. They couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so they dozed in their seats. Percy's neck got stiff as he tried not to drool in his sleep, since Annabeth was right next to him. Markus also took note of his own drool.

Grover's snoring and bleating kept them up. Once, the goat shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. Markus and Annabeth had to stick it back on before any passengers took notice.

"So," Annabeth asked Percy, once they'd gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?"

"What do you mean?" Percy asked while Markus stiffened.

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?"

Markus cursed Percy's big mouth, even when asleep.

Percy was reluctant to say anything. It was the second time he'd dreamed about the evil voice from the pit. But it bothered him so much he told her. Markus added his own input at some times too.

Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."

"Makes sense, since his humour must be dead," Markus said. He wiggled his eyebrows. "Get it? Because he's the Lord of the Dead-"

"Shut up, Markus," both Percy and Annabeth said.

Markus just pouted. They could at least take a joke!

"He offered my mother in trade. Who could do that?"

"It even said it can bring mine back to life," Markus said, uncomfortable with the topic.

"I guess… if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you two to bring the bolt if he already has it?"

"Maybe it isn't him," Markus said, sticking with his original point. "We only had Chiron's word to fall back on. But we don't know for sure it's Hades. Like you said, he appears on a throne, not in a pit."

"Markus, he said he would give you your mother back. Who else other than Hades can go against death?"

"Aren't there other deities with control over death?" Markus countered with a question, rebuffing her point. "We still don't have all the pieces, Annie. We can't connect the dots yet."

Eventually Annabeth conceded to that point.

Grover probably sensed their emotions. He snorted in his sleep, muttered something about vegetables, and turned over in his sleep.

Annabeth readjusted his cap so it covered his horns. "You guys, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if the Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time-"

"This time?" Percy asked. "You mean you've run into them before?"

Her hand crept to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-the-summer tokens. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mum."

"What would you do if it was your dad?"

"That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot."

"You're not serious?"

"Percy, I think you need to realise that some parents aren't like your mum or mine, who loved us," Markus said, after thinking back to where they were at camp, and Annabeth's reaction to her dad when Percy asked her about it.

Annabeth nodded in his direction in gratitude.

Her grey eyes fixed on Percy, stern as they were in the woods during Capture the Flag. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy," she said simply. "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parents."

"But how… I guess you weren't born in a hospital…" Percy dumbly trailed off.

"I appeared at my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist." The blond spat in resentment.

Markus reached out and rubbed her shoulder in comfort, which she unknowingly leaned into. He wasn't going to say sorry for her situation because he could tell that it wouldn't help, and sometimes it didn't work. He would know. So he tried to help in a different way. He wasn't really an expert on comforting people, but he tried it anyway.

Annabeth's eyes showed that she was thankful for the comfort. Markus smiled back in response.

"And when the monsters came around," she continued, "they would both look at me resentfully like, 'How dare you put your family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away."

"How old were you?" Percy asked after a moment.

"Same age as I started camp. Seven."

"But… you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself."

Markus thought back to his discussion with Grover last time. She was with Thalia, he thought.

"Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guiding me towards help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway."

"I don't think it's a pattern," Markus said, "but I think I speak for all of us when I say that demigods have shitty luck, and pasts, apparently."

Both kids thought about it, then nodded in agreement to that.

Towards the end of their second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, they passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch.

"I want to do that," she sighed.

"What?" Percy asked while staring at the giant bag handle stabbed in the ground.

"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon?"

"Only in pictures," Percy replied.

"Same," Markus offered.

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."

"Ballsy, aren't you, Wise Girl?" Markus commented, a little impressed she was ambitious.

Percy laughed. "You, an architect?"

Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

Markus just groaned at, thinking that she was never going to let her hate on the two boys go. Her comment did get him to think, however. Hmm, god of earthquakes, he thought. He grinned at all the wanton destruction he could potentially cause.

Percy gained a broody look and turned to watch the churning brown water of the Mississippi below.

"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean."

"Can't we work together a little?" he pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"

"That's what I've been telling her this whole time," Markus commented. "But she just doesn't listen."

She turned towards him. "Why do you insist on saying 'I told you so?'"

"It's fun," Markus answered, shrugging in response.

Annabeth deadpanned, while turning to Percy. "I guess… the chariot. My mum invented it, but Poseidon created the horses out of the crest of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."

"Then we can cooperate too, right?"

They rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel.

"I suppose," she said at last.

Markus just rolled his eyes. Gods, was she always so stubborn.

They pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told them they'd have a three-hour layover before parting Denver.

Grover stretched. Before he was even awake, he said, "Food."

"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said. "Sightseeing."

"Sightseeing?"

"The Gateway Arch," she said. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top."

That's what she said, Markus thought, biting down his laughter.

"Are you coming or not?"

The three exchanged looks.

Markus shrugged. "Well, we've got nothing better to do."

Percy caved in, seeing it was better to go together.

Grover shrugged. "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters."

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't long. The group threaded through the underground museum, looking at the covered wagons and other stuff from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling to the boys.

Markus barely listened to Annabeth as she kept explaining and telling them interesting facts that he didn't care about. Grover kept passing the boys jellybeans, so it was bearable.

Percy kept looking around, though, at the other people in the line. "You smell anything?" he murmured to Grover.

He took his nose out of the jellybean bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

But something felt wrong to Percy. He was getting a bad feeling, like he really shouldn't be here.

"Guys," Percy said. "You know the gods' symbol of power?"

Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?"

"Well Hade-"

Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place… you mean our friend downstairs?"

"Yeah, our friend _way_ downstairs-"

"Wrong belief system there, Percy," Markus said.

Percy looked at his brother, confused, then seemed to realise what he said. "Fine, our uncle, then," he changed. "Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice meeting."

"He was there?" Markus asked curiously.

She nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to Olympus-the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility cap, or Markus' jacket, if what I've heard is true…"

"I'd imagine," Markus said.

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadows or pass through walls. He can't be touched, seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"But then… how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked.

Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks.

"We don't," Grover said.

"I doubt he would time stalking demigods, even with all the drama going on now. He might be busy dealing with the dead, maybe." Markus stated, diffusing the tension made.

"Thanks, my spirits are lifted," Percy said dryly to Grover, before asking for more blue jellybeans to ease his nerves.

They got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady, along with her dog and, weirdly, her pet rattlesnake.

The dog was a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar, while the rattlesnake was an ordinary snake, but with intelligent, cold eyes. Percy figured the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua, but didn't know about the snake.

"No parents?" the fat lady asked them.

She had beady eyes: pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings."

The Chihuahua growled, while the rattlesnake hissed. The woman said, "Now, now sonny, Lamie. Behave." Both animals had beady eyes like their owner, intelligent and vicious."

Percy said, "Sonny and Lamie. Are those their names?"

"The snake is called Lamie, but no, the dog has no name," the lady told him. She smiled, like that cleared everything up. Markus frowned, his gut telling him something was wrong. Very wrong.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded Markus of a long tube with decent carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was unnerving to both children of the sea. Percy seemed jumpy from being cooped up and this high. Markus could relate too.

Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could've stayed there for hours, but luckily for both boys the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.

Percy literally dragged Markus, Grover and Annnabeth towards the exit, loaded the latter two into the elevator, he and Markus were about to get in but two other tourists were already there, so there was no room.

The park ranger said, "Next car, kids."

"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you."

But that would just mess everybody up and take even more time, so Percy said, "Naw, it's okay. We'll see you guys at the bottom."

Markus cursed silently. He knew for a fact that there may be monsters in their midst. He didn't want the group to get separated, but if he made a scene, the monsters may appear, catching everyone by surprise and killing them all. So he relented and said, "Yeah, it'll give us some time to bond." He made to glare at the lady with her pets."

Grover and Annabeth looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were them, a little boy and his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her pets.

Percy smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Wait a minute.

She had a forked tongue?

"Shit, I knew it," Markus muttered, taking Wavebreaker out, startling the mortals. They probably thought he had a shotgun or something.

Before they both knew it, the Chihuahua jumped and started yapping at both boys.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

Lamie the snake started hissing loudly.

"Percy, pen out, now. Monster attack," Markus said in one go.

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him back.

The dog bared its teeth at the demigods, foam dripping from his black lips. The rattlesnake hissed in unison.

"Well, son," the lady sighed. "If you insist."

"Urm, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"

"Chimera, dear," the lady corrected the boy. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make. Along with me is the great Lamia."

Markus raised his eyebrows. "So we got the mother of all bitches, her personal bitch, and another damned snake," he said, sneering. "Great, just great."

"Watch your mouth, brat," the fat lady, the newly revealed Echidna, hissed.

"Make me," he responded back, glaring.

"I'm going to enjoy popping your little head."

"Bitch, you're not the first to say that, and you sure as hell aren't going to be the last."

The fat lady hissed and screeched, looking red in the face.

The monster woman rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that her skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, they could see her fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back towards the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

Lamia the snake started to grow. She too grew to the size of a lion, then continued growing. As she grew, her features changed. She started to develop human-like features. Long hands grew from her sides, along with a swell from her stomach, growing into a woman's bust. Her face stretched, turning from a scaly monster into a beautiful woman. Like the Echidna, she had green scales growing from parts of her body. Her fangs were evident in her mouth. Her hair was a light shade of brown. Somehow, she had a bra where her bust was held, along with several pieces of jewellery on her arms and neck.

The Chimera had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing out of his shaggy behind.

The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA – RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS – IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS – EXT. 954.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honoured, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. Along with Lamia, the sea monster and daughter of Poseidon. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

Great, family reunion, Markus thought.

Percy stared at her, long and hard, but all he could come up with was: "Isn't that a kind of anteater?"

Markus stopped and burst into laughter, almost forgetting about the monsters in front of them.

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"

"Oi, can't you learn to fight for once?!" Markus interjected. "Don't be a pussy and send your son! Come and fight!"

"…Sonny, kill them. Right now. Lamia, you too."

"Don't order me around, Echidna." Lamia snarled, her voice sounding beautiful, making Markus' knees almost wobble. Now that he looked at it, with her revealing nature, she was quite hot. Then Markus berated himself. This was his sister, dammit! "I'll decide who I kill. I think I'll choose the one with the big mouth." Here she looked towards me, smiling with her fangs. "I wish to have a reunion with my dear brothers."

Echidna snarled. "Fine! But make sure he suffers!"

Markus thought of a plan quickly. "Percy, you take the Chimera. Watch out for its fire breath and snake tail. Use these." Here he gave him a couple of his water bottles. "Don't rush in blindly. Echidna won't do anything. I'll take care of Lamia."

"Right, thanks," He responded, thankful for the knowledge. He took out Riptide. "Be careful."

"I'm the last person you should be saying that to, baby brother."

Before Percy could say anything, the Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. They leaped in opposite directions, avoiding its bite.

As Markus was about to raise his sword and attack, he saw Lamia slithering unbelievably fast towards him. He just had a second to react before he rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging her claws. Huh, so she had claws, too. Damn.

Markus decided to leave Percy to his own devices. He could handle himself. He turned his attention towards his opponent. He noticed that Lamia was a lot like the dracanae he faced previously, only faster and more dangerous.

"Stay still, child," she hissed teasingly. "I'll be sure to make it worth your while."

"…Ew, what is with you monsters being paedophiles! First Medusa, and now you! We're siblings!" Markus yelled out.

She shrugged, making her breast jiggle slightly. Markus gulped at this action. "I'm a child-eater. What do you expect? Also, didn't you know that incest is wincest as far as we're concerned."

"I… I don't even…" Markus stuttered, stumped. He was so shocked that he almost missed her attack, making himself dodge again.

He wanted to bring out his water bottles, but Lamia was too fast. He couldn't strike, because her movements were like a snake: fast, agile and deadly.

So he came up with another one of his stupid ideas. He charged, taking Lamia by surprise. She quickly reacted, however. She raked her claws at Markus, but he managed to raise his arm, using his aviator jacket as defence. While he was pushed back, he swung out, Wavebreaker managing to strike across her arm, making her roar in pain.

But Lamia quickly recovered, swiping at Markus face. He turned, but managed to get a cut on his cheek in the process.

Markus quickly jumped away, checking his wound. He suddenly felt a little sluggish, and he immediately knew that he was poisoned.

Lamia cackled, seeing the expression on his face. "Yes, little godling. My claws are poisoned. Soon, you be clumsy and be eaten."

"Lady, you need to come up with better threats," Markus muttered, swiping a water bottle he tucked in his pocket when he gave some to Percy. He quickly opened it, then splashed himself with water.

Instantly, he could feel the effects. He felt stronger, faster, and he even noticed that the sluggish feeling faded quickly. Markus leaped out, slashing at Lamia more quickly than before, matching her movements and combating her more better.

She ducked, weaved, bobbed around, dodging his swings, even when he was boosted. Thinking quickly, he pulled back, willing himself to turn invisible.

Lamia looked around, searching for Markus. "It's pointless, child," she hissed. "I do not need my eyes to see you. I can smell you."

And then she turned right, her fangs gleaming, apparently spotting him. She swiped at the air, her claws digging into skin.

Immediately Markus became visible, screaming in pain as Lamia's claws dug deep into his chest, drawing blood. She smiled with malicious intent.

But then Markus faded, disappearing into the wind. Lamia was stunned, then she turned. Wavebreaker came to meet her face, carving into her face.

She roared in pain, turning away from the real Markus, who just appeared. When she faced him, there was a big open wound, gold dust spilling out of it. The wound marred her beauty, making her slightly less hot.

She snarled in anger. "You miserable damned brat! I'll take my time carving into your flesh and burning you with poison."

Markus just rolled his eyes. "Why is every monster so clichéd?" he asked rhetorically, getting her to howl in more rage.

He lunged, aiming to stab her, but she was quicker. She turned, coiling, then sprung, mouth open. But she didn't notice the other attack until it was too late.

"Urrgh!" she screeched, several water spikes lodged in her midsection and snake tail end. She had time to register the pain before she became a shower of gold dust, Wavebreaker cleaving through her.

When the gold dust settled, all that was a large fang. It seemed to be coated with a small purple substance that he knew to be poison **(A.N. – think the basilisk fang from the second Harry Potter book, in the Chamber of Secrets).**

He breathed in heavily, waiting a moment, before bending down and picked up the fang. He knew it was a spoil of war, like Medusa's head. He tore a strip from his shirt and wrapped the fang with it, putting it in his backpack. Satisfied, he turned to Percy's fight, and his heart dropped.

Markus saw that the snake tail bit Percy in the calf, getting him to scream in pain. The floor next to them was torched, the carpet set on fire. The snake tail retracted, leaving Percy to kneel in pain. Markus quickly ran to his brother, kneeling next to him.

"Hey! Percy!" Markus exclaimed worriedly. He examined the wound, knowing that his brother was already poisoned. "You-you'll be fine! Just use the water!"

"Can't," Percy hissed through the pain. "R-ran out." Markus turned and saw the empty water bottles, probably used against the Chimera's fire breath.

"Oh my, I guess they don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?" Echidna cackled, making Markus glare at her. Percy weakly glanced at the water below him. Markus instantly knew what he was thinking. While he didn't want to risk it, he knew that the water would heal him. It worked for him, so it should work for Percy too. Unfortunately the snake bitch started talking again. "If you are the son of Poseidon, you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

Percy didn't look convinced. "Look, Percy," Markus said. "Your poisoned. I have no spare water bottles left, and I don't have enough ambrosia and nectar either. Jump. The water will heal you. Trust me."

The Chimera reared its head back while its mouth began to glow. It was getting its flame breath on again. "You have no faith," Echidna told him. "Listen to your brother. You may have a chance. But it is too late now. You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."

Percy grimaced, thinking she was right. He looked at the water, then at Markus, then gave a weak smile. He fell off the platform just as the fire came rushing towards them. "Die, faithless one!" Echidna rasped out.

Markus dodged, just in time to miss the flame that passed. He saw Percy fall to the water below. While worried for him, he felt that he would be alright. He was the son of Poseidon. Water wouldn't harm him. But he was still worried.

Then he looked at the Chimera, and he got pissed. Because of the beast, his brother got poisoned and nearly died. While he may have gotten healed from the poison, he was still pissed.

He roared, charging at the Chimera. It responded by breathing fire. Markus rolled to the side, dodging the flames. He ran to it, cutting off the snake head tail that was aimed at him. He was brimmed with rage right now, his anger giving him strength. He stabbed the Chimera in the eye. As it was about to emit fire from its mouth. Markus quickly stabbed Wavebreaker in the roof of its mouth.

The Chimera made a sound like a roar and choking at the same time. He shoved the blade deeper in its mouth. He left it there, then, getting the fang of Lamia from his backpack, stabbed it into its eye, getting it to roar in pain. "Sonny!" Echidna exclaimed in worry, but it was too late.

The Chimera let out a roar of pain as it fell to dust, leaving behind a white horn with a tuft of blood and crimson fur.

Markus retrieved Wavebreaker and let out a sigh of relief. Only to hear the mother of monsters hissing.

He turned to see her furious, her snake bottom bent, almost coiled.

"How dare you!" she shouted at him, her fangs and claws gleaming.

Markus was already sick of her presence, and really tired. So, he just made the come-here motion with his hand.

Howling, Echidna lunged, ready to kill the demigod before her.

Scooping up his spoil of war from the Chimera, he rolled, rebounding back after Echidna landed. With both the horn and fang, he roared, stabbing both into her chest deep enough to leave a fatal wound.

She screeched, then, like her son, disappeared in gold dust, leaving no previous presence of her.

It took a moment for Markus to realise that the fight was over.

Taking a breath, he collapsed, his strength leaving him. His earlier water boost faded, leaving him bone-tired. Wearily looking around, he didn't see the park ranger or the family anywhere. Maybe they escaped.

Good thing for small mercies, Markus thought tiredly.

He just laid there, content with resting. But he knew he had to get up, check on the others, check on Percy. As soon as that thought entered his head, he slowly tried to get himself up, with little success.

Markus tried to figure a way out of the Arch. He could jump through the hole Percy went through, but he didn't think he could manage a fall in his state, son of Poseidon or not.

There was no way he was jumping out of the Arch through the damaged window, but quickly scrapped that idea. He didn't want to become a demigod pancake. Hell, he'd probably meet Hades without even going to Los Angeles.

With no ideas, he was getting desperate. Putting his spoils of war in his backpack, he tried to come up with an idea. But none came so far. He just felt like willing himself down the Arch, but knew that was impossible. He didn't have that power.

As soon as he thought that, he felt darkness overtake him. He wasn't falling unconscious, but he could feel cold all around him, as if there was some darkness literally overtaking him. He had a second to realise that it was from his aviator jacket before the shadows enveloped him, like he was going invisible. But the feeling was different.

And then suddenly, he felt like he was moving. Like, _really_ fast. But he couldn't see anything. All he could see was black. He felt the cold touch of darkness all around him, transporting him, taking him somewhere.

And then Markus dropped down onto the ground, outside the Arch. He briefly saw that he was deposited behind a floating McDonalds before he blacked out, now passing out.

 **Well, that's it, people. Another chapter. So, yes, Markus did shadow-travel, using his jacket. No, he's not going to do it frequently. Why? It's too OP at the moment. Plus, it's a Hades thing. The fact that Markus is a son of Poseidon makes it more draining for him. Also, Hades may not like that. So he won't do it often, only in emergencies. He'll have his own form of teleportation later on.**

 **Also, I hoped you like my addition of Lamia. Her description is something I searched up online, depicting her as a beautiful woman, rather than a full-time snake. I'm not great with action scenes, so hoped you liked it.**

 **Another thing: I know it seems that Markus is battling in every fight and winning. I understand that. But most of his fights are with him using water or him boosting himself with water. Without it, he would lose. So be content with that. With the Chimera, he fought with rage to defeat it, like Percy did with the Minotaur in canon. Anger is a fatal flaw of Markus, given his heritage, along with another one (if you can't figure it out, read the summary of the story).**

 **See ya!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

Markus was lying unconscious on the ground when he felt someone nudge him. He promptly ignored the person and turned over on his side, embracing sleep. When he felt someone nudge him harder, he snapped. He rose up, meeting the face of the person who nudged him. Apparently it was Percy.

Markus just had time to register that before he reached out, hugging his brother tightly. "Percy!" he exclaimed, relieved. While he knew that he would be healed from the poison thanks to the water, but he was still worried.

"Markus. Markus! I'm okay, really!" Percy said, after a moment too long of hugging. Markus, realising that, let go.

"Sorry. Just… worried," Markus explained.

Percy nodded. "Yeah, it's okay. I get it."

"So what happened?"

Percy was about to explain, but he was interrupted by a little girl. "Mommy, look! That boy walked out of the water and the other one appeared in black!"

"That's nice, dear," the mother told her child.

But they're not even wet or harmed!"

"That's nice dear, dear."

A news lady was talking to the camera: "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious, especially since an underwater bomb went off, making the water reach as high as the Arch, dousing out most of the flames. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of one person falling from the Arch and another person in league with the terrorist."

At the word survivor, Percy sighed out in relief, but wondered what they meant by underwater bomb. Markus thought it was probably due to the Mist, making the mortals think differently to what actually happened.

"… two adolescent boys," another reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show them actually going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities…"

Markus then turned to his brother. "Uh, we should get going."

Percy nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

Both boys walked along, keeping their heads down.

They had almost lost hope of finding their friends until they heard Grover bleat out, "Per-cy! Mark-us!" Percy got tackled by the goat boy while Annabeth came up behind him, looking angry, but failing.

She yelled, "We can't leave you two alone for five minutes! What happened?"

"I sort of fell," Percy said, shrugging nervously.

"Percy! Six hundred and thirty feet?" she said, exasperated. "And what about you, Markus?"

"Oh, you know. Just killed Lamia, Chimera and the Echidna," he said, shrugging. He brought out the fang of Lamia and the horn from the Chimera. "See, I got prizes!" Markus smiled while Percy gawked at him, along with the others.

Behind them, a cop shouted, "Gangway!" The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. Percy and Markus recognized her as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck. She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this fire-breathing Chihuahua-"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick."

"I'm not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole while the other disappeared in shadows!" Then she saw the group. "There they are! It's those two boys!"

The two boys paled before they dragged Annabeth and Grover, not wanting to be the centre of attention.

"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

"So... news flash: the Chihuahua was actually the Chimera, who bit Percy and poisoned him. But he was healed by water. The fat lady and the rattlesnake were Echidna and Lamia. I killed Lamia, while killing the other two after Percy fell," Markus explained in one breath. Annabeth and Grover looked at him, one in disbelief, the other in awe.

"You-you slayed the Echidna and the Chimera, not to mention Lamia?" Grover asked, shocked. "That's amazing! Very few heroes can claim to do that!"

Markus nodded, not really feeling all that great about it. While he did kill Lamia successfully, with the Chimera and Echidna, he knew that if Percy wasn't poisoned, and he grew angry, then he might end up the same as him.

Then Percy added his own input, telling the group about his high dive act, and some underwater lady's message.

"Whoa," Grover said. "We've got to get you both to Santa Monica! You can't just ignore a summons from your dad."

I've half a mind to just ignore it anyway, Markus thought bitterly. Seriously, Poseidon only sent a messenger to inform them of something after this long. And only when one of his sons was in mortal danger.

Before Annabeth could respond, they passed another reporter doing a newsbreak, and Percy and Markus froze when he said, "Percy Jackson and Markus Henderson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that both boys who may have caused the explosion fits the description of two young men wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the boys are believed to be heading west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of them."

They quickly ducked under the news van to get away.

"First things first," Percy told Grover. "We've got to get out of this town!"

Somehow, they made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted and got on board the train before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind them.

"Well, at least we're on TV," Markus said, somewhat cheerfully.

"Shut up, Markus," said the group tiredly.

"Oh, you guys are no fun! At all!"

 **XXX**

The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, the train rolled into Denver. Thankfully Markus still had some money to spare from the start of the quest. They were able to get some food, but only a little. They hadn't showered, and it was starting to show. Markus had no more water bottles, so he couldn't really help.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"We can't use phones, right?" Percy asked.

"I'm not talking about phones." She answered.

Markus assumed it was a magical means of communication.

They wandered through downtown for about half an hour, as Annabeth kept looking for something. It was hot and dry out.

Finally they found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. Veering towards the stall farthest from the street. Markus thought about using the Mist to cover them from any patrol cars, but decided against it. From experience, he knew that patrol officers only bothered kids who looked shady enough. Sure, they looked grimy and dirty, but patrol officers rarely bothered kids. The reason he got into so many fights with them in the past was because he stole a lot of stuff, and was caught a couple of times.

"What exactly are we doing?" Percy asked, as Grover took the spray gun.

"It's seventy-five cents," he grumbled.

Way to answer the question, Markus thought, a frown appearing on his face.

"I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

"Don't look at me," she said. "Markus is the one with the money." She pointed to him.

Grumbling, he reached into his pocket, fishing out four quarters that he had with him, which excluded the money he received from camp.

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked once more, really curious.

He fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "'I-M'ing."

"Instant messaging?"

"Iris-messaging," Annabeth corrected him. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."

"You summon a goddess with a spray gun?" Markus asked in disbelief.

Grover pointed the nozzle at the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow."

"… I think there might be a spell for that," Markus mumbled.

Annabeth groaned. "Markus! That would have been helpful to know."

"One: I don't know it. Two: if I _did_ know, you still didn't tell me what we were doing. So it's _your_ fault."

Annabeth flushed. Markus noted she seemed to do that whenever he pointed out a flaw she had.

Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapour and broke into colours.

Annabeth held her palm out to Percy. "Drachma, please."

He fished out one and handed it to the blonde.

She raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering."

She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer.

"Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then they could see through the mist and saw the strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. It was probably the porch by the Big House. Standing with his back to them at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank-top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!" Percy yelled.

He turned, his eyes wide. Percy could see that Luke was standing three feet in front of him through a screen of mist, except he could only see part of him that appeared in the rainbow.

"Percy! Markus!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're… uh… fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her T-shirt, trying to comb her loose hair out of her face. "We thought - Chiron - I mean - "

Markus rolled his eyes at her behaviour. She was acting like a typical high school girl with a crush. Sure, he acted in a similar fashion when he met Silena, but he recovered quickly the more he spent time with her. With Annabeth, she still acted the same.

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?"

Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

"Chiron had to – what's that noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it." Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. "Grover, come on!"

"What?" Grover said. "But –"

"Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" she ordered.

Grover muttered about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle of Delphi, then he handed Percy the spray gun and followed Annabeth.

After a quick readjust of the rainbow by Percy, both sons of Poseidon could now see Luke.

"Chiron had to break up a fight up," Luke shouted to them over the music. "Things are pretty tense, guys. Word leaked out about the Zeus – Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how – probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are taking sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

Percy shuddered to think that Clarisse's cabin would ever be on his dad's side for anything.

In the next stall, they could hear Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically.

"So what's your status?" Luke asked them. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

Percy told him pretty much everything, excluding the dreams. He tried to tell him about it, but Markus kept glaring at him the moment he opened his mouth about it. Percy wouldn't admit this, but sometimes his brother scared him. They kept talking and they didn't realize how long they talked until the beeper went off on the spray machine. One minute left it seems.

"I wish I could be there," Luke told them. "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen… it had to be Hades who took the bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly."

"That's true," Luke said, looking troubled. "Still… Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anyone else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

They fell into silence. Markus paused at the notion, then stared at Luke disbelievingly. He realized what he'd said.

"Oh, hey," he protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never… I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

Markus thought that Annabeth may not be happy at that bit.

In the stall next to the demigods, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

"Oh… uh, yeah!" Percy said, failing at sounding convincing. "Yeah, they've come in handy."

"Really?" he grinned. "They fit and everything?"

The water shut off. The mist began to evaporate.

"Well, take care of yourselves out there in Denver," Luke called, his voice getting fainter. "And tell Grover it'll be better next time! Nobody will turn into a pine tree if he just –"

The mist was gone, and Luke's image faded into nothing. They were alone as Grover and Annabeth came back laughing from around the corner, but stopped when they saw both boys' faces. Annabeth's smile faded. "What happened, guys? What did Luke say?"

"Not much," Percy lied. He was thankful that Markus hadn't said anything. "Come on, let's find some dinner."

A few minutes later, the questers were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner.

All around them, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.

This doesn't look like any kind of diner I've been to, Markus thought.

Finally a waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

Percy said, "We, um, want to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

"… Got enough," Markus said, after checking the money he had. He had to be careful; he didn't want to waste carelessly at all.

Suddenly a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant pulled up to the curb.

Markus immediately thought the rider was compensating for something.

All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlights glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather – but leather that looked like… well, Caucasian human skin.

The guy on the bike looked like someone who'd beat up bears when bored. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruellest, most brutal face you'd ever seen – handsome, one could say, but wicked – with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights.

The weird thing was, Percy felt like he'd seen his face somewhere before.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if someone had just pressed the rewind on her brain. She asked them again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into the booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth and Grover against the window.

Poor guys, Markus thought. They have to put up with this jackass' stench.

Then he blinked, wondering what was wrong with him. He was never that irritable unless he was really angry. But ever since the man came into the diner, Markus could feel rage bubbling up inside of him, but he didn't know why. Usually he was better at handling his anger, but right now that wasn't the case.

He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?"

He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back towards the kitchen.

The biker looked at Percy and Markus. You couldn't see his eyes behind the red shades, but bad feelings started boiling in Percy's stomach. Anger, resentment, bitterness. He wanted to hit a wall. He wanted to pick a fight with somebody. Who did this guy think he was?

Markus was no different. For him, it was like staring at the thing he most hated, times ten. He didn't understand why he felt such rage, but he did know this man was causing it, whether subconsciously or not. No matter how much he tried calming himself down, his anger kept rising. Unknowingly, his eyes burned green, glowing with rage.

He gave them a twisted grin. "So you're both old Seaweed's kids, huh?"

Percy's face twisted into a sneer. "What's it to you?"

Annabeth's eyes flashed him a warning. "Percy, this is –"

The biker raised his hand.

"S'okay," he said. "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousins?"

"… The more that I meet my extended family, the more I feel like our family line is messed up," Markus said after a moment, already figuring out who this man was.

The man raised his head back and laughed loudly. "I agree with you, brat! Our family is a little crazy, aren't they?!" He grinned wickedly. "Well, go on, tell your brother who'd in front of him?"

"No need," Percy interjected. "You're Clarisse's dad. Ares, god of war."

Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature explosions.

"That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."

"She was asking for it." Percy glared at the god.

"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for – I heard you two were in town. I got a little proposition for you."

The waitress came back with heaping trays of food – cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

Ares handed her a few drachmas.

She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't…"

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

"You can't do that." Percy told Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Markus scoffed. "He clearly doesn't care. And if you're going to act like a thug, at least put on a better performance."

"I didn't know I was asking for an opinion, brat." Ares said, amused.

"Oh, I know. It's clearly wasted on you."

"So, Lord Ares, what brings you here?" Annabeth interjected, probably saving Markus from trouble.

Ares turned towards her, then the two boys. "I got a little proposition for you two little newbies. I need a favour."

"What favour could we do for a god?" Percy asked, thinly veiled tolerance in his voice.

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little… date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Percy glared.

The fire in his eyes glowed a little hotter.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

"And why should we waste our time getting _your_ shield?" Markus asked this time. "We already have a quest. We don't need to divert from that."

Ares turned his heated gaze towards him. He could see blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield. "I know all about your little quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally." Here Markus snorted at the thought of Ares being the best. "If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful…" He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry.

"Well, if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?" Markus asked disbelievingly.

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Gee, thanks," Percy grumbled.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

"We're doing fine on our own," Percy gritted out, not wanting his help whatsoever. Markus agreed with him.

"Yeah, right. Little money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Just relying on your brother to help you. How said." At the end Ares' voice turned mocking. Percy wanted to jump across the table and beat his face in, but Markus held him back.

"Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mum."

Percy's eyes flew to Ares'. "My mum?" he asked, trying not to sound too desperate to the war god.

He grinned. "That got your attention."

"And why should we believe that you know about her?" Markus asked, curious. "That, if we do your quest, you won't trick us and lie?"

He laughed throatily to Markus. "Now, now, I wouldn't lie about stuff like that."

"Well, excuse me if I find it hard to believe you on that."

"Well, you should. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"You know, for a god of war, you sure do seem like a coward when dealing with a water park," Markus taunted.

Ares bared his teeth, the look similar to what Clarisse's.

There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me."

They must have blinked or something, it was like he was never there, but Grover's and Annabeth's expressions told them otherwise.

"Not good," Grover said. "Ares sought you guys out. This is not good."

Percy stared out the window. The motorcycle had disappeared.

It's probably a trap like Markus suggested," Percy said with a shake of his head. "Forget Ares. Let's go."

"We can't," Annabeth said. "Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent."

Percy looked at his burger with a grimace, not feeling hungry right now. Markus dug into his food, feeling no such hesitation.

"Why does he need us?"

"Maybe it's a problem that requires brains," Annabeth said. "Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

"I'm not buying it," Markus said, just finishing his burger and now biting into some onion rings. "Ares looked nervous. What would a war god be so scared that he sends kids to take care of? He probably might be a coward, but even so."

The other three glanced nervously at each other.

"Joy," Percy said, sighing as they stood up and left, Markus taking the food with him. Hey, he wasn't going to waste free food!

The sun was sinking behind the Rocky Mountains by the time they found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.

The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading into empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming in, the place looked sad and creepy.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

"I think Cabin Ten might slap you for that," Markus muttered, looking at the padlock and wondering how to unlock it.

Percy looked at him. "Why?" he asked cluelessly, not connecting the dots.

Markus just stared at him, before turning his head, muttering, "Idiot." He then turned towards the gate.

"Percy," Annabeth warned. "Be more respectful."

"Why? I thought you hated Ares."

"He's still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental." Annabeth said. She took a side-glance at Markus as he jammed the horn of the Chimera into the lock, trying to pick at it.

"You don't want to insult her looks?" Grover added.

"Who is she? Echidna?"

"Already killed her," Markus replied. "Also, you're a dumbass, you know that?"

Percy looked insulted at that before Grover said dreamily, "No, Aphrodite. Goddess of love."

"I thought she was already married to someone," Percy said. "Hephaestus."

"What's your point?" Grover asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh." Percy said, shutting his mouth.

The shadows grew long as they walked, getting in successfully with Markus' lock-picking skills, which he just developed five seconds ago. They checked out all the attractions available. There was AnkleBiterIsland, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit?

No monsters came to get them. Nothing made the slightest noise.

They found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of –

"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."

"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just – "

"Watch me." Annabeth smirked at him.

She snatched an entire row of stuff off the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.

"Looks good on you, Annie," Markus said, before looking at all the other stuff available. "Ah, what the hell." He shrugged, going into the gift shop.

Soon, all of them were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park. Markus even picked up a disposable camera from the shop.

They continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. "So Ares and Aphrodite," Percy said, "they have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth told him. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."

"What about Aphrodite's husband?"

"Well, you know," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olypmus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"

"She likes bikers."

Talk about shallow," Markus commented. "If Hephaestus is anything like his children, and having met Ares, I'd choose brains over dumbassery any day. Then again, I haven't met the guy."

This got all the rest of the group to crack up, but didn't comment any further.

"Hephaestus knows about it?" Percy asked, picking up where he left off.

"Oh, sure," Annabeth said. "He caught them once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like…"

She stopped, looking straight ahead. "Like that." She pointed.

In front of them was an empty pool that could've been used for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.

Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side from them, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!

Grover crept towards the edge. "Guys, look."

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares' shield, a polished circle of bronze.

"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"

Annabeth walked over and ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue.

"There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder…"

"Grover," Markus said, "you smell any monsters?"

He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."

"Nothing – like, in-the-Arch-and-you-didn't-smell-Echidna-and-Lamia nothing, or really nothing?" Percy asked.

Grover looked hurt. "I told you, that was underground."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Percy took a deep breath. "I'm going down there."

"I'll go with you." Grover didn't sound too enthusiastic, maybe he wanted to try and make up for what happened in St Louis. That's what Percy assumed.

"No," Percy told him. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, remember? In case something happens."

Grover puffed up his chest a little. "Sure. But what could go wrong?"

Immediately Markus facepalmed. "For fuck's sake, Grover! Do not jinx us!"

Grover winced. "S-sorry!"

Percy winced also. "Yeah. Let's just hope that doesn't come to past."

Markus wasn't really hopeful. "So, why don't I go?"

Percy shook his head again. "No. You're our strongest member. We'll need you in case things go wrong."

"Naturally." Markus nodded his head while the others thought, _So vain!_

Then Percy said, "Annabeth, come with me – "

A second later, Markus burst into laughter as Annabeth glared at him, cheeks red. "Are you kidding?" She looked at him as if he was stupid.

"What's the problem now?" Percy demanded, wanting to get this over with.

"Me, go with you to the… the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"

Markus raised his hand. "I will."

"Shut up, Markus!" Annabeth shouted, still blushing.

"But why?" Here Markus grinned playfully. "I mean, aren't you guys a little young to be trying all this? I promise I won't judge and all, but – "

"I said shut up!" she shouted, exasperated. Markus just continued laughing.

Percy's own face was burning too. Leave it to a girl to make everything complicated. "Fine," he told her. "I'll do it myself." But when he started going down the side of the pool, she followed him, muttering about how boys always messed things up.

As the two were about to go down, there was a click, and then a flash. They looked up to see Markus, camera in hand, grinning like a loon.

"You guys look so cute together," he teased.

"I'll skin you alive for this, Squid Head!"

"Love you, too, Wise Girl!"

The shield was propped on one seat, and next to it was a lady's silk scarf. Percy looked around and wondered why Ares and Aphrodite wanted to meet out here. He then noticed the mirrors that lined the pool. He could see every angle of himself and Annabeth.

There was another click, and both kids knew it was Markus taking more pictures. "Yeah, guys! Work it!"

"… He's a dead man walking," the blonde girl growled.

Markus just grinned impishly.

Percy leaned in and picked up the scarf. It shimmered pink, and the perfume was indescribable – rose, or mountain laurel. Something good. Percy smiled, a little dreamy, and was about to rub the scarf against his cheek when Annabeth ripped it out of his hand and stuffed it in her pocket. "Oh, no you don't. Stay away from that love magic."

"Ooh, getting some competition from a scarf, Annie?"

"Just shut up, dammit!"

"Annabeth Chase, the mouth on you!" Markus continued cackling with glee.

"What?" Percy blinked, love magic?

"Just get the shield, Seaweed Brain, and let's get out of here."

The moment he touched the shield, something snapped.

"Wait," Annabeth said, hearing it.

"Too late."

"There's another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap."

"No shit, Sherlock!"

"… I hate him, so much," Annabeth muttered.

Noise erupted all around them, of a million gears grinding, as if the whole pool was turning into a giant Transformer.

Grover yelled, "Guys!"

Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. Before Percy could say anything, they shot, but not at the kids. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cable trailed the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a giant asterick. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main threads, making a net.

"We have to get out," Percy said.

"Duh!" Annabeth said to him.

Percy grabbed the shield as they ran, but going up the slope was not as easy as going down.

"Come on!" Grover shouted.

He was trying to hold open a section of the net for them, but wherever he touched, the golden threads started to wrap around his hands.

Markus brought out Wavebreaker and tried hacking into the threads, but they didn't budge. It was like trying to hack steel.

The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding them with light, and a loudspeaker voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute… Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight…"

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid. Eta is 'H'. He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"

The mirrors opened up and then came thousands of tiny metal-

"Spiders!" Annabeth screamed. "Sp – sp – aaaah!" She fell back in terror, overwhelmed by seeing them. Percy pulled her up and brought her back to the boat.

Water spears skewered cameras three, four and five. Markus was using the water from the ride to get rid of the cameras. He mentally summoned a small wave to take out camera six also. There was roughly thirty seconds left.

The tiny spider came in the millions, no doubt to help humiliate Ares and Aphrodite. Instead, they were being humiliated.

Annabeth and Percy climbed into the boat. Percy started to kick away the spiders as they swarmed aboard. He yelled at Annabeth to help him, but she was too paralyzed to do much more than scream.

"Thirty, twenty-nine," called the loudspeaker.

The seventh camera got destroyed too, a water sphere impacting it and short-circuiting it.

The spiders starting spitting out strands of metal thread, trying to tie the captured kids down. The strands were easy enough to break at first, but there were so many of them, and the spiders kept coming. Percy kicked one away from Annabeth's leg and its pincer took a chunk out of his new surf shoe.

Grover hovered above the pool in his flying sneakers, trying to pull the net loose, but it wouldn't budge.

Markus took care of cameras eight to ten, his waterbending skills coming in handy.

 _Think,_ Percy told himself. _Think._

The Tunnel of Love entrance was under the net. They could use it as an exit, except that it was blocked by a million robot spiders.

"Fifteen, fourteen," the loudspeaker called.

Then he realized that he had a solution. Markus was providing it for him.

 _Water,_ Percy thought. _Where does the ride's water come from?_

"Percy!" Markus called. "Use the water!"

Percy followed Markus' idea, seeing the huge water pipes from where the metal spiders came from, and next to one of the destroyed Cupids, a glass-windowed booth that must be the controller's station.

"Grover!" he yelled. "Get into the booth! Find the 'on' switch!"

"But – "

"Do it!" It was their only chance. The spiders were all over the prow of the boat. Annabeth was screaming her head off. He had to get them out of here. Markus was helping get rid of the cameras and the spiders, but he had to do something.

Grover was at the control booth now, slamming away at the buttons.

"Five, four – "

Grover looked up at Percy hopelessly, raising his hands. He pushed every button, nothing was happening.

Percy closed his eyes and focused on that all too familiar tug in his stomach from his training with Markus.

"Two, one, zero!"

BOOM!

A water spear got lodged in camera twelve, just in time, too.

Water exploded from the pipes. It roared into the pool, sweeping away the spiders. Percy pulled Annabeth into the seat next to him and fastened her seat belt just as the tidal wave slammed into the boat, over the top, whisking the spiders away and dousing them completely, but not capsizing the kids. The boat turned, lifted in the flood, and spun in circles around the whirlpool.

The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, some of them smashing against the pool's concrete wall with such force they burst.

Percy willed the boat to ride the currents, trying to stay away from the walls. Maybe it was his imagination, but the boat seemed to listen.

With one more spin, the water level was high enough to shred them against the metal net. Then the boat's nose turned towards the tunnel and they rocketed through into the darkness.

Annabeth and Percy held tight, both screaming as the boat shot curls and hugged corners and took forty-five-degree plunges past pictures of Romeo and Juliet and a bunch of other Valentine's Day stuff.

Then they got out of the tunnel, the night air whistling through their hair as the boat barrelled straight towards the exit.

If the ride had been in working order, they would've sailed off the ramp between the golden Gates of Love and splashed down safely in the exit pool. But there was a problem. The Gates of Love were chained.

Two boats that had been washed out of the tunnel before them was now piled against the barricade – one submerged, the other cracked in half.

"Unfasten your seat belt," Percy yelled to Annabeth.

"Are you crazy?"

"Unless you want to get smashed to death." He strapped Ares' shield to his arm. "We're going to have to jump for it." His idea was simple and insane. As the boat struck, they would use its force like a springboard to jump the gate. With luck, they would land in the pool.

Annabeth seemed to understand. She gripped his hand as the gates got closer.

"On my mark," Percy said.

"No! On my mark!"

"What?"

"Simple physics!" she yelled. "Force times the trajectory angle – "

"Fine!" he shouted. "On your mark!"

She hesitated… hesitated… then yelled, "Now!"

Crack!

Annabeth was right. If they'd jumped when he thought, they would be kissing the gate. She got them maximum lift.

Unfortunately, that was a little bit more than they needed. The boat smashed into the pileup and they were thrown into the air, straight over the gates, over the pool, and down towards solid asphalt.

Then Percy felt his free arm caught and looked towards Grover, who also hooked his arms under her. He was using the flying shoes to help him. Unfortunately, they had a lot of momentum, so they were about to fall. Fortunately, they had something to break their fall: a small, condensed body of water, courtesy of Markus.

As they fell, the body of water gave way, splashing onto the asphalt and wetting the group. Thankfully, they weren't hurt, so that was good.

"Well, that was anti-climatic," Markus said from behind them. They turned to see him, grinning cheekily.

Annabeth turned to him. "Thanks for getting us all wet," she grumbled, squeezing water out of her shirt.

Markus, unaffected by her glare, shrugged. "It was either that, or you all go splat," he said. "If it was me, I'd choose getting wet."

"Yeah, but you're the son of Poseidon," Grover noted. "You can't get wet."

He shrugged again. "Can't do anything about it. You're welcome, by the way."

The two grumbled, but thanked him anyway.

Percy looked towards the Thrill Ride of Love. The water was subsiding. The boat had been smashed to pieces against the gate.

Even with the cameras destroyed, the spotlights still shined, as if waiting for something.

"Show's over!" Percy yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"

"You've been a fantastic audience!" Markus added and dramatically blew a kiss.

The lights went off. The park went quiet and dark again, except for the tiny trickle of water into the Thrill Ride of Love's exit pool.

"Hopefully our ratings were excellent," Markus said to the group. Annabeth tried to shove him, but he dodged. She was just relieved that they weren't humiliated before the gods.

Percy hefted the shield on his arm and turned to the group. "We need to have a little talk with Ares."

"Oh, joy," Markus muttered.

 **So, that's a wrap, everyone! Sorry for not updating in a while. I got sick, and then now have to deal with exams in a few weeks, which is such a pain. Note that if I don't update for a while, then it's because I have to study and deal with them. But I'll still update, don't worry. I don't plan to abandon this story yet.**

 **So, another chapter posted. Awesome. Sweet. Cool. …OK, so, the story's still going on. Not really anything new to say. A big shout out to those who reviewed, followed or favourited, or did all three, on this story. Thanks so much. You guys are awesome. Hopefully you'll continue to read the story as it goes on. Love you all!**

 **Read and review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

The war god was waiting for them in the diner parking lot, leaning on his motorcycle. "Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

Percy glared at him. "You knew it was a trap."

Ares cracked a wicked smirk. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

"Wow, I didn't know you had stage fright. If you were such a pussy you could have told us," Markus taunted, getting Ares to growl slightly.

Percy growled and shoved the shield in Ares' hands. "You're a jerk." Annabeth and Grover caught their breath. Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" he pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas." The kids took one look at the truck and the demigods were able to read it because of the fact that it was in big black and white letters that were reversed. A good combination for people with dyslexia. It said: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Percy gave Ares a deadpanned look. "You have got to be kidding me."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to him.

Inside were fresh clothes for all of them, twenty bucks of cash, a pouch full of drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuffed Oreos.

Percy said, "I don't want your lousy – "

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving Percy his best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot."

"Did you wash your hands when you decided to give it to us?" Markus mocked, before Annabeth or Grover could stop him. "Or is hygiene something that doesn't come naturally to you?"

Ares turned his eyeless gaze towards him, the flames in there getting hotter. "I admit you got spunk, kid. I'll give you that. But I think you need to remember that I am a god. So watch yourself."

Thinking back to all the gods he met, excluding Hecate since she was helping him, Markus just replied. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that, from all the gods I've met, you're probably the least impressive."

Ares's glare was so strong and heated that his sunglasses melted off his eyes. Any lesser person would've wilted under the glare, but Markus didn't flinch. "You're very lucky I don't turn you into a rodent and crush you, little brat. Otherwise I'd interfere with your little quest of finding the old man's bolt."

Markus smiled cheekily. "Noted." He mostly blamed his attitude towards Ares's oppressive aura he was giving off. He still didn't know why he was so easily angered. He was usually more in control of his emotions.

The waitress at the diner was looking nervously at Ares, like he was going to hurt them or something.

She even dragged out the fry cook to look. She said something, not that anyone could make out, then the man took out a camera and snapped a photo of the group. Percy was thinking about the new headline that might pop up: TWELVE YEAR OLD OUTLAWS BEAT UP DEFENCELESS BIKER. He could tell his brother was probably thinking the same thing.

"You owe me one more thing," Percy said as he turned back to Ares and trying to keep his voice in check. "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

The ground seemed to almost spin beneath Percy. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

"Kept. Why?"

"A hostage," Markus said with a frown. "Trying to convince you of something."

"Brat's right. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling me," Percy argued.

He laughed. "Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

Percy balled his fists up. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

"Ooh, burn," Markus chuckled.

His now empty sockets were glowing with fire. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. And you too, Markus Henderson. Next time both of you are in a fight, watch your back."

He revved his Harley, then off roared down Delancy Street.

Annabeth said, "That wasn't smart, guys."

"I don't care," Percy argued.

Markus shrugged. "Me neither."

"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god." The blonde stated to them.

"He set us up. At this point, I don't care about pissing him off," Markus stated.

"Hey, guys," Grover said. "I hate to interrupt, but…"

He pointed towards the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, the two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need to hurry."

They ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind them.

The first thing that hit them was the smell, which, to Markus, smelt like a collective putrid cloud of animal droppings. Unfortunately, this was a smell that he was quite familiar with from the past.

The trailer was dark inside until Markus flicked on the lighter he had with him, casting a view to a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals you'd ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody wanted to get close enough to lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and the others weren't far behind him, but just then the truck engine came to life, the trailer started shaking, and they were forced to sit down or fall down.

The group huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in the series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly.

Annabeth was in favour of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but Percy pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving. Besides, he had a feeling they might look a lot better to the lion than those turnips.

Markus turned off his lighter, because of where they were the flame wouldn't be sufficient, and used Wavebreaker to change the mismatched food and put it with the right animal. Percy was able to refill the water bowls. The meat was given to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope.

Grover calmed the antelope down, while Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off the horn. Markus used the horn of the Chimera to cut the mane of the zebra and get the gum out. He got a mental response of, _Thank you, milord._ He was only slightly surprised by this, but later realized that zebras were similar to horses, apparently. That was why he was able to mentally hear him.

They told Grover to promise the animals they'd help them in the morning, then the group settled in for the night.

Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened the bag of Double Stuffed Oreos and nibbled on one half-heartedly and handed the other boys one. While eating one also, Percy focused on the fact that they were halfway to Los Angeles. Halfway to their destination. It was only June fourteenth. The solstice wasn't until the twenty-first. They could make it in plenty of time.

"Hey," Annabeth said. "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy."

"That's okay," the boy told her.

"It's just…" she shuddered. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," Markus guessed. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mother in a contest, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."

"We're a team, remember?" Percy said to Annabeth. "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying while Markus went all Aquaman."

"Then would that make you Aqualad?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't really see you do anything other than try falling flat on your face."

They thought Grover was asleep, but he mumbled from the corner, "I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"

They all laughed. Markus smirked, "Yeah, you were, G-man."

Annabeth pulled apart an Oreo, handing Percy half. "In the Iris message… did Luke really say nothing?"

Percy munched on the cookie and thought about how to answer. The conversation via Iris message seemed to have bothered him. "Luke said you and he go way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would be turned into a pine tree."

In the light of Markus's sword, you could see both their sad faces.

Grover let out a mournful bray.

"I should've told the truth from the beginning." His voice trembled. "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."

"You were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia, daughter of Zeus." Percy stated.

Markus didn't say anything, already having a good idea as to what happened.

He nodded glumly.

"And the two other half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp…" he looked at Annabeth. "That was you and Luke, right?"

Annabeth put down her Oreo, uneaten. "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me towards help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were… amazing monster-fighters, even without the training. We travelled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us."

"I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp," the goat boy said, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought… I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up to us. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker…"

"Stop it," Annabeth said. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either."

"She sacrificed herself to save us," he said miserably. "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."

"Then screw them," Markus told him sharply. He looked towards Grover directly. "Look, Grover. I may not know Thalia, but from what I've heard, she would never blame you for what happened. So you shouldn't do the same. She was willing to sacrifice herself to save you. I respect her decision. If I was in her place, I would do the exact same for those I care about. Remember, you have more guts than any satyr there is."

Annabeth looked uneasy by his declaration, but Percy nodded, agreeing with his brother. "He's right, G-man. Just because you wouldn't leave two other half-bloods behind? That's not fair."

"They're right," Annabeth said with a shake of her head. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."

Grover kept sniffling. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the three most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia, Markus and Percy."

"You're not lame," Annabeth insisted. "You've got more courage than any satyr I've ever met. Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld. I bet both Percy and Markus are really glad you're here right now."

She kicked both boys in the shins.

"Yeah," Percy said, which he would've done even without the kick. "It's not luck that you found Thalia, Markus, and me, Grover. You've got the biggest heart of any satyr ever. You're a natural searcher. That's why you'll be the one who finds Pan."

You could hear a deep, satisfied sigh. Percy waited for Grover to say something, but his breathing only got heavier. When the sound turned to snoring, they realized he'd fallen asleep.

"How does he do that?" Percy marvelled.

"I don't know," Annabeth said. "But that was a really nice thing you said to him."

"I meant it."

"You didn't have to kick me, though," Markus grumbled. "Did you not hear the motivating speech I gave him?"

Annabeth chuckled. "Yes, yes. I did hear that."

The trailer went into silence after that, bumping around on the feed snacks. The zebra munched on a turnip. The lion licked the last of the hamburger meat off his lips and looked at Percy hopefully.

Annabeth rubbed her necklace like she was thinking deep, strategic thoughts.

"That pine-tree bead," Percy said. "Is that from your first year?"

Annabeth looked. She hadn't realized what she was doing.

"Yeah," she said. "Every August, the counsellors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress – now that was a weird summer…"

"And the college ring was your father's?"

"That's none of your –" She stopped herself. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You don't have to tell us," Markus offered.

"No… it's okay." She said with a shaky breath. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her… That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Yeah, well… the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmother was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood."

"You think you'll ever try living with your dad again?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Please. I'm not into self-inflicting pain."

"You shouldn't give up," Percy told her. "You should write a letter or something."

"Thanks for the advice," she said coldly, "but my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with."

Markus sighed and reached out, grasping her shoulder. Annabeth turned her grey eyes towards him. "Look, I'm not going to say sorry to you. Not because I'm trying to be mean, but I believe that saying it won't do any good. It won't bring back any good memories with your dad. But what I can tell you is not to dwell on the past too much, and focus on what you have now. I know that's being hypocritical, coming from me. I can't get over Poseidon leaving my mum to die. I could care less about being homeless. But I'm thankful that I'm here now, with you guys. I won't let the past control me too much. You shouldn't too." After saying that, he went back to his original position, leaning against the side of the trailer.

Annabeth gave him a small smile, which he responded back with a nod.

The group passed another few miles in silence.

"So if the gods fight," Percy said, "will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?"

The blonde leaned her head against the side of the trailer. "I don't know what my mum will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

"Why?" he asked in surprise.

"Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Anymore stupid questions?"

Percy couldn't think of an answer. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Annabeth was asleep, leaning on Markus's shoulder, who was also asleep.

Percy had trouble following her example, with Grover and Markus snoring and an albino lion staring hungrily at him, but eventually he closed his eyes.

Markus was having a nightmare once again. He was really getting sick of that.

He was sitting in a classroom, which was strange since he didn't remember even going to school. He was wearing a straightjacket, sitting at the front of the room, listening to a teacher drone on about some useless stuff.

He tried wriggling out of the straightjacket, but he had no luck. He tried anything, even trying to pull in his stomach and pop out, but nothing worked. He gave up, and looked around the room.

There was another person sitting in the classroom, a row behind him.

It was a girl, with short, spikey black hair. She wore a black jacket and black jeans with some kind of band on the shirt. Green Day or something? She was wearing black combat boots, with a cute splash of freckles across her nose. But the thing that stood out the most was her electric blue eyes.

Instinctively, Markus knew who this was. Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Another detail that he forgot about: she was handcuffed, her arms behind her back, her struggle to get out of them ineffective.

After struggling a little, she looked towards Markus and said, "Well, Squid Head? One of us has to get out of here."

Markus agreed with her. He didn't plan to let anything stop him from completing the quest. Especially a weird ass dream.

With strength he didn't know he had, he ripped off the straightjacket, freeing himself. And then the floor gave way beneath him, dragging everything from the classroom.

Markus was falling, deeper and deeper, he fell into darkness.

As he landed on the soundless black ground, the cold and evil voice from the pit before echoed before him. Markus turned and saw Percy. He must've had the same dream he had, or something different.

Percy Jackson and Markus Henderson, it said. Yes, the exchange went well, I see.

They were back in the dark cavern, spirits of the dead drifting around them. The numbing power of its voice seemed directed somewhere else.

And they suspect nothing? It asked.

Another voice, one they almost recognized, answered at their shoulders. _Nothing, my lord. Jackson is as ignorant as the rest. But the other boy, he is more smarter, not easy to fool, eventually he will figure out the truth_.

They looked over, but no one was there. The speaker was invisible.

Deception upon deception, the thing in the pit mused aloud. Excellent. Even if one of them is aware, it will be far too late.

 _Truly, my lord_ , said the voice, _you are well named the Crooked One. But was it really necessary? I could have brought you what I stole directly –_

You? the voice said with scorn. You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened.

 _But my lord –_

Peace, little servant. Our six months have brought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon has played his most desperate card along with his own secret gamble. Now we shall use them against them. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish, and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands… but wait. They are here.

 _What?_ The invisible servant suddenly sounded tense. _You summoned them, my lord?_

No. The full force of the evil voice's attention was now pouring over them, freezing both demigods in place. Blast their fathers' blood – they are too changeable, too unpredictable. The children brought themselves hither.

 _Impossible!_ The servant cried.

For a weakling such as you, perhaps, the voice snarled.

Then its cold power turned back on the two children. So… you wish to dream of your quest, young half-bloods? Then I will oblige.

The scene changed.

Markus was in elegant Greek armour, with a flourishing red cape clasped to his shoulders. He sat on a throne of faceless corpses as he gazed down at a destroyed floating city of white and gold. Beneath it, there was another city of the same size, but with blue and white instead. Thousands of corpses littered the ground there, as well as blurred figures both on the floating city and the one beneath it bowing to Markus. They even draped him with a crown of solid gold laurel.

In his hands were a two foot bronze tube and a crown of skulls. The tube was humming with raw unearthly energy at each end, while the crown burned with a heat so cold, it almost froze him, even in dream-form.

The evil voice began to laugh. Hail, the conquering hero!

Markus awoke, gasping awake as Grover was shaking him. He was doing the same to Percy and told both boys to wake up. "The truck's stopped. We think they're coming to check on the animals."

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed.

She and Markus had it easy. Annabeth just put on her magic cap and disappeared while Markus willed himself invisible with his jacket.

Grover had to dive behind feed sacks and hoped they looked like turnips.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said.

Grover tensed. For a peace-loving herbivore, he looked downright murderous.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin, Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looked at Percy.

There was no sound, but Percy heard a voice say, _Free me, lord. Please._

Percy was too stunned to react.

There was a loud knock, knock, knock, on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"

A voice outside – it must've been Eddie – shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

Knock, knock, knock.

Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?"

Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

There was a sound of something hitting skin, and two thuds.

A second later, both Annabeth and Markus appeared next to them. One of them must have done the banging to get Maurice out of the trailer while the other knocked the two guys out. Percy was guessing that Annabeth did the banging while Markus knocked the guys out. Annabeth said, "This transport business can't be legal."

"No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers."

 _That's right,_ the zebra said in Percy's, and now Markus's, minds.

"We've got to free them!" Grover said. He and Annabeth looked at Percy and Markus, waiting for their lead.

Percy was wondering how he could understand the zebra, until it hit him. He was the son of Poseidon, he created horses. Did that mean that he could understand them? Did a zebra count as a horse?

The zebra said, _Open my cage, lords. I'll be fine after that._

Percy uncapped Riptide and slashed the lock off he zebra's cage.

The zebra burst out. It turned to him and Markus and bowed. _Thank you, lords._

Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing.

The zebra leaped into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. The questers rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs. They'd just released a zebra in Vegas.

"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said.

"The other animals first," Grover said.

As Percy cut the lock with his sword, Grover raised his hands and spoke the same goat-blessing he'd used for the zebra. Markus went to the two knocked out guys and made their hands touch each other's crotches. It was a little joke he'd keep to himself.

"Good luck," Percy told the animals. The antelope and the lion burst out of their cages and went off together into the streets.

Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some sort of stunt by one of the casinos.

"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, Vegas is a desert."

"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked.

"It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy and Markus," Annabeth reasoned.

"Hey!" both boys protested.

"Kidding," she said. "Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."

They stumbled into the desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, and the questers must've looked like deep-fried vagrants, but everyone was too interested in the animals to pay them such attention.

Markus helped the group avoid three squads of policemen who were coming. Thankfully, he had a plan. He went up to the policemen and informed them about the truckers. He may or may not have used the Mist to convince them thoroughly, but no needed to know that. Except him.

"What did you do?" Annabeth asked in bewilderment.

"Told the cops about the two truckers and their 'business.' Even used the Mist to convince them," Markus said.

The group shivered at how casual Markus sounded in using the Mist. They didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

They passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. The pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but still made Percy homesick.

The group didn't really know what to look for. Maybe just a place to get out of the heat and cool down with a nice glass of lemonade and a good sandwich, anything really.

They must have taken a wrong turn or something, because they were at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers – lotus blossom, maybe.

The doorman smiled at them. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

Markus was instantly suspicious, and Percy shared the same sentiment. Anybody might be a monster or god in disguise. You just couldn't tell. But this guy was normal. One look at him, and they could see. But for some reason, Markus was feeling a sense of security from the man, even though he never trusted a person at first sight. This immediately put him on edge. Maybe it was some magic that quickly convinced him easily. Inside, the group took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one of the buildings, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There was some virtual reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place. There were a few kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

Percy stammered, "Um, but…"

"Wait," Markus interjected. "This is a mistake…"

The bellhop blinked, as if the idea of a mistake didn't register with him. "Mistake? Oh no, we have your room key and your room ready for you. The bill's been taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go up on the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed them each a green plastic credit card.

Percy knew there must be some mistake. Obviously he thought they were some millionaire's kids. He took the card and said, "How much is on here?"

His eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

They took the elevator upstairs and checked out the room. It was a suite with four separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big screen TV with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. Percy didn't know how that could be legal, but he thought it was pretty cool. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, but with a room like this, why bother looking?

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is..."

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."

"Dibs on the shower," Markus stated before anyone else, and dashed to the bathroom.

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit them. Markus found that strange, but quickly forgot about that in favour of taking a shower.

Percy threw Ares's backpack in the trashcan. Wouldn't need that anymore. When they left, he could just charge a new now at the hotel store.

Markus walked out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and was using another one to wipe his hair with one hand, while holding a bag of crisps in the other. Annabeth turned away, looking embarrassed.

He then looked in the closet and found a simple black T-shirt and some grey shorts to wear. Markus went into the changing room and came back a few minutes later in the new clothes, now drinking a can of Coke now.

Percy took a shower too, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel. He changed clothes, ate a bag of chips, drank three Cokes, and came out feeling better than ever.

In the back of his mind, some small problem kept nagging at him. He'd a dream or something with Markus… they should talk about it. Nah, it could wait.

Percy came out of the bedroom and found that Grover and Annabeth also showered and changed their clothes. Grover was eating potato chips to his heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel. Markus was arguing with her to change it to something interesting.

"All those stations," Percy told the blonde, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting," the girl countered.

"It's boring," Markus said.

"I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place."

Without his even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Grover, Percy and Markus looked at each other and grinned. They held up their green plastic LotusCash cards.

"Play time," both Markus and Percy declared.

Percy bungee-jumped the lobby five or six times, did the waterslide, snowboarded the artificial ski slope, and played virtual-reality laser tag and FBI sharpshooter.

Grover was going from game to game. He really liked the reverse hunter thing – where the deer go out and shoot the rednecks.

Annabeth played trivia games and other smart stuff. They had this huge 3-D simulator game where you build your own city, and you could actually see the holographic buildings rise on the display board.

Markus was walking around, going from game to game, while also reading a comic book. Well, not a comic book. Something called manga. Apparently it was a Japanese comic book with subtitles. Markus saw a couple lying on a desk near a game console, and decided to read some out of curiosity. Needless to say, he was hooked.

Now he was reading one called 'One Piece'. It was about a pirate who has rubber powers, and he goes on all sorts of adventures with his friends in pursuit of the One Piece, the greatest treasure in the world. Markus really enjoyed reading it.

He was reading ahead, looking at the part where some guy called 'Whitebeard' fought some guys at some place called 'Marineford'. Markus particularly found Whitebeard to be badass. Especially his power to cause earthquakes. That got him thinking to himself.

He would've pondered more on the thought but he felt someone bump into him, causing him to drop his manga. "Ow." Was the only thing that the person who ran into him could say.

When he looked up at the person who bumped into him, he saw it was a little boy, a few years younger than him. He had dark hair and black eyes with an olive tone. He wore a pair of black shorts and a grey T-shirt. He was currently on his bum, rubbing his head.

Markus reached his hand out, helping the boy up. "Uh, sorry about that," Markus apologized. "I didn't look where I was going. You okay?"

The small boy nodded. "Yeah. It's okay. I was running around and not looking where I was going. Sorry."

While Markus was annoyed at being interrupted reading his manga, he didn't want to take it out on the kid. So, he ruffled his hair, getting him to grumble a bit at that. "S'okay, man. I don't blame you. So, what were you running for?"

"I was trying to find my sister, Bianca," the boy said. Then he paled, contrasting with his skin tone. "Oh, man. If she finds me, I'm –"

"Nico di Angelo!"

The shout came from behind the little boy, now named Nico, who jumped a little in fright. He shakily turned to behind him, Markus doing so also. Stomping towards them was a girl about his height, with black eyes and long silky dark hair with a splash of freckles, like he'd seen with Thalia in his dream. Her features were very like Nico, confirming that she was his sister. She wore a black turtleneck, a pair of jeans and a floppy green hat.

Right now, however, she had an angry expression as she stamped towards her brother, who was cowering slightly. Markus couldn't blame him. His sister seemed slightly scary.

"Watch where you're going." She scolded before turning to him. "I am so sorry, my brother, he's really energetic."

"It's okay," Markus waved off. "It's my fault also. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Nevertheless, I'm so sorry." Then he turned to her brother. "Nico, apologize."

"But I did," Nico whined. But he still wilted under her glare.

Deciding to save the kid, Markus interjected. "No, he did, really."

"Oh, okay then," Bianca said, now smiling. Markus was baffled. _Is she bipolar or something?_ He wondered.

Deciding to introduce himself, Markus held out his hand. "I'm Markus, by the way." He bent down to pick up his manga, and noticed some cards that were dropped. "Uh, are those yours?" he asked, picking some of them up. He saw some Greek gods printed on them.

"Mythomagic," Nico explained excitedly. His eyes shone with childish excitement. "It's only _the_ best game out there. It's about all the Greek gods and monsters and stuff."

"Nico," Bianca groaned. "No one cares about your stupid card game."

"Actually, I'm kind of interested," Markus said, amused. The irony of it all. The Greek gods were alive, as well as all the monsters, and this kid had a card game based on it all? Now he had to see it. "I've got some Greek roots myself."

"Really?" he asked, excited.

"Yep!"

"That's so cool! I've got Zeus, who does six hundred damage points with his lightning bolt. He comes in every starter pack. Now Hades, man, that thing is impossible to find." The boy pouted.

"You mind explaining to me about all this stuff?" Markus asked.

"Sure!" he seemed excited at the prospect. Then he began his tirade on each card, like Apollo, or Hermes, and so on.

While he was chattering, Bianca now talked to Markus, Nico being distracted. "Thanks for humouring him," she said, relieved. "I love him, but he's just so…"

"I see," Markus said, amused. "Don't worry though, I actually was serious about being Greek. Just wanted to see what he was so hyped about. Besides, he seems okay."

"I guess." From Bianca's tone, she seemed to disagree.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "You don't agree?"

Bianca shook her head. "No, no, no. I love Nico to death, honestly. It's just… since we've been together for so long, I've been the one to take care of him. I love doing it. But…"

"You're tired of the responsibility?" Markus guessed. He didn't ask about a mum or dad. He knew a touchy subject when he saw one.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "I'm just so tired of it all. It's such a pain dealing with a younger brother."

"Tell me about it," Markus said, thinking of Percy. While not knowing him as long as Bianca would Nico, he still considered Percy his baby brother, despite him saying otherwise.

Here she looked interested. "You have a brother, too?" she asked.

"Half-brother," Markus corrected. "Same dad, different mum. Just found out about him recently. Still, I love him to bits. Got to look out for my baby brother, right?"

"Right," Bianca said, giggling.

A waitress came over to drop off some food. It was pizza and some drinks. Markus instantly took the pizza and munched on it.

Nico was done talking about his game, but he was still bouncing up and down, full of restless energy.

Bianca sighed, answering his unanswered question. "Fine, you can play some games. But stay in sight." She warned.

He nodded, and zipped off to one of the game consoles.

Markus chuckled. "Well, I see you can control him. That's good."

"Yeah." Bianca nodded. Then she sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "To be honest, I feel like I just want to be on my own." She didn't know why she was confessing this, but she felt like she could trust him. "I've been taking care of him so long that I…"

"Just want to be you?" Markus finished, with her nodding.

He didn't know how she felt, but he could sympathise with her. Being your own person and knowing who you are was important in life.

"Hopefully you can find yourself someday," he assured, which got her smiling.

They chatted a bit more until Nico came back to them. Markus showed him the collection of manga that he picked up. Bianca was somewhat interested, but Nico ignored it, stating that Mythomagic was better. Looks like he had to change that. He would probably need to buy more when he left.

When he left… and instantly, memories started coming back to him, memories of the quest, of a possible WWIII, Percy's mum, the Underworld, everything.

At the last thought, a voice called out, "Markus!"

He turned and saw Percy there. "Percy!" he called back. "This place – WWIII – the glow stick –"

"Yeah, I know," Percy said. "We need to leave. Now."

"Yeah, okay." Remembering the two kids with him, he realized that he needed to say something to them. "Give me a second."

He then turned to them. "Uh, listen guys. This is my half-brother, Percy. My 'baby brother' if you will." Here Markus grinned cheekily while Percy scowled. "We have some… family business to take care of. It just came up now. Sorry for cutting it short, but hopefully we'll see you guys soon. Bye!" After that, both boys ran, following the exit of the Lotus Casino.

The siblings were quiet were quiet after the explanation, until Nico said, "I like him. He seems cool."

"Yeah," Bianca agreed, laughing a bit. She hoped to see Markus again. It was nice having people to talk with sometimes.

While running, Percy explained that people check in, but never leave since people from the 1970s were in here. That made Markus wonder how long the di Angelo siblings were stuck here.

They met up with Grover and Annabeth as they headed to the exit.

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to meet them. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

He held out the cards, and the kids wanted one. But if they did, they might never leave.

Grover reached for the card, but Annabeth yanked back his arm and said, "No thanks."

Markus walked up to the bellhop, pissed. The man held out the card with a smile, but his face twisted into shock and pain as Markus jumped, and pimp-slapped him, knocking him down and scattering the cards. **(A.N. – think of the slap Deadpool gave Colossus in 'Deadpool' 2016… only Markus didn't break his wrist** **doing it).**

Markus breathed out in anger. "That was for trapping us in a casino for gods know how long."

With that, he strutted out of the Lotus Casino, joining the others in leaving.

They burst the doors of the casino and ran down the sidewalk. It felt like afternoon, about the same day they'd gone into the casino, but something was wrong. The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with lightning flashing out on the desert.

Ares's backpack was slung over Percy's shoulder, which was odd, because he was sure he'd thrown it in the trash can in room 4001, but now he had other problems to worry about.

Percy ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods, it was the same year it had been when they went in. Then he noticed the date: June twentieth.

They had been in the Lotus Casino for five days.

They had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete the quest to stop WWIII from happening.

Markus looked back at the casino. "You know, I think the casino was put there to speed up the plot and make it more dramatic for some reason."

Then he blinked, wondering why he said that. It was the same thing that happened in Medusa's lair. But that didn't matter right now. He had other things to worry about now.

 **Hello, hello, hello! It's nice to see (or hear from you) again! I hope you enjoyed the introduction of little Nicky and Bianca! I know it's clichéd at this point, but I felt like doing it.**

 **Also, hope you liked the mention of the One Piece manga. I did this specifically to show a part that will appear in the battle against Ares. I did it because I loved Whitebeard from the anime, and I simply had to put it in here.**

 **Again, thanks to all those who read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story! Love you guys!**

 **I know I should put a disclaimer at the top of each chapter, but you already know I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Only my OC and my own elements. No need to say it every time. I know it's a little late, but whatever.**

 **Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

It was Annabeth's idea.

She loaded them into the back of a Vegas taxi, as if they had enough money to pay for it. Well, Markus might have some money, but not enough for a taxi. Annabeth told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized them up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."

"You accept casino debit cards?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe them first."

Annabeth handed him her green LotusCash card.

He looked at it skeptically.

"Swipe it," Annabeth insisted.

He did.

His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally, an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth. Markus's mouth hung open. Then he grinned. He was so going to exploit the shit out of his card.

The driver looked back at them, his eyes wide. "Where to Los Angeles… uh, your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth sat a little straighter. They could tell she liked the 'Your Highness' thing. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

Markus looked at her incredulously as she said that. The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert.

On the road, they had plenty time to talk. Percy told Annabeth and Grover about his latest dream, but the details got a bit sketchier the more he tried to remember. The Lotus Casino seemed to have short-circuited his memory. Both him and Markus couldn't recall what the invisible servant's voice had sounded like, but it was familiar somehow.

The servant had called the monster something other than 'my lord'… some special title or something…

"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."

"Maybe…" Percy said, though neither sounded quite right.

"No, it wasn't one of those," Markus said, deep in thought. He was thinking about what the dream entailed. There was a pit, an evil voice, the glow stick being stolen. All the pieces were coming together.

"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."

Percy shook his head. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit… I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."

Annabeth's eyes widened as well as Markus's, having figured it out.

"What?" Percy asked both of them.

"Oh, nothing," Annabeth answered. "I was just – No, it _has_ to be Hades."

"Annie," Markus said, dread creeping in his voice. "It was –"

"No! It-it has to be Hades. You said the servant failed, right? So, the bolt is still out there. He must think we have it. It would explain the Furies coming after us." She tried to explain all this while paling rapidly.

"But if I'd already retrieved the bolt," Percy said, "why would I be travelling to the Underworld?"

"To threaten him?" Grover suggested. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mum back."

"… Damn, G-man, you have some evil thoughts for a goat," Markus said after a moment. He then reached out and hugged him. "My boy, I'm so proud of you! All those times we spent together, slowly corrupting you, has worked! I knew I'd corrupt you."

"Why, thank you," he chirped.

"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," Percy said with a knitted eyebrow. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?"

"It would have to be something really important for Hades to send the Furies after us," Markus said. After thinking for a moment, he still couldn't piece anything together. Who would want to bring ruin to the gods by sending a servant to steal the bolt? The only enemy that he could think of was a Titan, but they were locked away, imprisoned. The only Titan that he could think of that could do all that was…

All of a sudden, his thoughts came to a halt as he realized the answer. The dread that was building up was because he was trying to deny the truth. But now that it was more clear, he now knew.

"Kronos," Markus whispered, and instantly all the people in the cab got a cold feeling. The feeling of dread he felt before increased. Markus had a feeling of talking about a boogeyman when he was five. That was the same feeling now.

"What did you say?" Percy asked.

"Kron –"

"Don't say the name!" Annabeth said sharply, startling everyone. "No, it can't be! It-it _has_ to be Hades."

"Annabeth," Markus said, now serious. "It can't be Hades. He hails from the Underworld, not Tartarus, the pit. It has to be Kronos." And again, the cold experience came back again. To Markus, it felt like small knives scraping down his back. But he continued. "He's the only one who we can fully suspect that's behind all of this. We're going the wrong way."

Annabeth shivered, probably feeling the same way the rest of the group felt. "You really shouldn't say his name like that, Markus. I'm serious."

Markus rolled his eyes. He could understand why she was so apprehensive about it. This _was_ the Big Bad of Greek mythology they were talking about. Just thinking about made Markus almost piss his pants, though he'd never admit it. "Fine. The Crooked Asshole, then. Even so, you can't deny that I'm right."

"So, Kron – the Crooked One is the one behind all this?" Percy asked.

"I think so," Markus replied, frowning. If what they discovered was true, he was going to punch Chiron in the face, trainer of heroes or not!

Wasteland rolled by. They passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES.

"The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth assured them. "You two saw spirits of the dead, right? There's only one place that could have them. We're doing the right thing."

She tried to boost the morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead, but the team wasn't really into it.

At sunset, the taxi dropped them at the beach in Santa Monica. The place smelled a bit foul. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave.

Grover, Annabeth, Markus and Percy walked down to the edge of the surf.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

The Pacific was turning gold in the setting sun. Percy was reminded of Montauk as he stared at the sea opposite of the one he was so used to. How could there be a god who could control all that? What did his science teacher use to say – two-thirds of the earth's surface was covered in water? How could he be the son of someone that powerful?

He looked towards Markus, who nodded towards him. Together, they stepped into the surf.

"Percy?" Annabeth said. "Markus? What are you doing?"

Both boys kept walking, up to their waist, then their chest.

The blonde called after them. "You know how polluted that water is? There's all kinds of toxic –"

Percy and Markus were both underwater before she could finish.

Markus experienced the same feeling he always got when underwater: feeling like he was going to run out of air, only to feel fine afterwards. He looked towards his brother to see him floating also. He was about to say something to him when he saw something enter his line of vision: a five-foot-long mako shark.

Now usually, seeing a shark might scare people and cause them to run away. But with both boys being sons of Poseidon, that didn't apply to them. Plus, the shark seemed friendly and passive enough.

The shark bucked against Percy's leg and seemed to nudge its head in a particular direction, like it wanted them to follow, heeling like a dog. It looked as if it was awaiting a command.

Percy tentatively touched its dorsal fin. Seeing no harm befall him, he did the same thing. The shark bucked slightly, indicating for them to grab it and hold on. Nodding slowly, both boys grabbed the top of its fin. Immediately, it jettisoned them to the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm.

Markus peered down and tried to see what the shark wanted them to see. He saw something shimmering from below. It got brighter and bigger as it came towards them. Percy suddenly gasped, leaving Markus confused as to why. When it eventually became more visible, it turned out to be a beautiful lady. However, what caught Markus's attention wasn't her, but rather what she rode. She was mounted on a stallion-sized sea horse. She dismounted off the sea horse and it swam off towards the mako shark to play with. Markus guessed they were playing underwater tag.

"You've come far, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson," the lady said, her voice sounding rich and clear. Neither of the boys knew what to do, so they ended up bowing awkwardly to the lady.

"You're the woman who spoke to Percy in the lake?" Markus asked.

"Yes, young one. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. I also serve in Lord Poseidon's court?" she explained calmly.

"So why isn't our dad here? Doesn't he want to see us?" Percy asked. Markus could hear bitterness in his tone. "Or is he too busy to see his sons?"

In that moment, a cold current rose from the depths of the huge chasm.

"Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid frowned. "He has to prepare for war. Not only that, but gods are forbidden to help you directly."

"But the gods can still indirectly aid us, right?" Markus asked.

The Nereid smiled warmly at his answer. "Yes, that is why I am here. I am here to give you both a warning, and a gift." She held out her hand. Four white pearls flashed in her palm. "I know you journey to Hades's realm. Few mortals have ever done this and survived. The few who have survived had great talents. Hercules, who had great strength. Orpheus, who had skills so great he almost escaped the Underworld with his wife's soul. Houdini, who could escape Tartarus itself. Do you have any of these great talents?"

"Um… I can breathe underwater?" Markus answered innocently.

"Besides that."

"I can control water?"

Sighing, the woman handed over the four pearls, two to each boy. "You have gifts you two have only begun to know. But for now, take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"What will happen?" Percy asked.

"That depends on your need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea" she said.

While both boys were trying to figure out what the lines meant, the Nereid wasn't finished speaking yet. "Also, I give you this warning: go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose it all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgement. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson." With those words given, she summoned her sea horse, and rode away.

Percy looked like he was expecting the Nereid to appear again, but Markus knew she wasn't. Markus nudged him. "We have to go. We need to meet the others." Percy sighed, then nodded.

Both boys swam to the surface to meet up with the group.

When they broke the surface and told the group what happened underwater, Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."

"They were free," Percy told her. Markus shook his head. "Actually, I agree with her on that." He would know that.

"He's right," Annabeth said. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an Ancient Greek saying that's translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

"…Did you just say American? What, you speak American now, Annie?"

"Shut up, Markus!" Annabeth responded, her cheeks pink at the poor grammar.

 **XXX**

As the group was about to head towards Los Angeles, they stopped at a convenience store because Markus insisted on stocking up on more water bottles, for extra ammo. The group said otherwise, but Markus told them that it was better to be prepared.

As he was reaching for the last water bottle that was on a top shelf, another hand took it instead. "Sorry, kid. Better luck next time," a voice said, which belonged to the person who took the water bottle.

Understandably pissed, Markus whirled towards the person who took his intended water bottle. It was a man who was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, along with sandals. He looked like he had a good tan near the beach, except that his skin looked a bit rough. From seeing his hand, Markus could tell that he had tiny scars and calluses, showing hands like a fisherman. He was also wearing a straw hat that covered his head. The man looked about thirty, and was wearing a pendant with a swirling dragon on it, which was a bit odd, but also cool. However, the thing that set Markus off was his eyes. While they looked like normal blue eyes, they had a large slit.

Markus figured that he was another monster of reptilian species, but something told him that wasn't it. Now that he looked closely, he could tell that his aura wasn't that of a monster, but something similar. Even though he was trying to conceal himself and act casual, Markus could tell that he was powerful.

The fact that he hadn't attacked yet gave him pause, but he tensed, preparing to fight. But the man, seeing this, waved him off. "Oh, calm down, boy. I'm not here to fight. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have even entered the store."

Markus bristled at that, but didn't do anything else. "Who are you?" Markus asked suspiciously. "I know you're a god. But I don't know which one."

The man, or god, let out a rumble in his chest that sounded like laughter. "Well, well, at least you're aware of your surroundings. You don't know how annoying it is to deal with clueless mortals. Especially your kind."

Markus was confused at the last part, but he was still guarded. "So, which god are you?" Markus asked, his hand creeping towards Wavebreaker. While he was probably outclassed, he still wasn't going to stay idle.

The god probably knew what he was doing, because he looked amused. "Oh, stay your hand, young demigod. I have no intention to cause you trouble, as I've told you. I might even help you. As for who I am, well…" Here, he strayed off, as if pausing for dramatic effect. "All I'll tell you is that I'm not Greek."

Markus's eyes widened. Not Greek? What did that even mean? If he wasn't Greek, then what was he? Roman, Egyptian, Aztec? What?!

Seeing his confused face, the god sighed. "Well, you're no fun at this. I guess I'll just tell you. We would be here forever if I leave you to guess who I am." Here, gave a dramatic bow. "I am Ryūjin, the Shinto dragon god of the sea."

With his introduction given, Markus's mouth was hanging open. Shinto? What did that even mean? Also, he was another god of the sea?

"W-what?" Markus stammered, confused as hell.

Ryūjin now sighed tiredly. "I knew it was too hopeful for a Greek to recognize me. Still, I'd hope for you to at least know this." Here he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, well. I guess I'll have to explain to you, then."

It suddenly occurred to Markus that there was no sound around them. Peering over his shoulder, he saw no other customers or shopkeepers around.

"Oh, don't bother," Ryūjin waved his hand casually. "I warded all those pesky mortals away from here. So no one could listen in on our conversation."

Now Markus was even more wary. Why this god didn't want people, even mortals, listening in on their conversation was worrying, but he had other issues to deal with.

"As I was saying," Ryūjin continued. "I am a Shinto god, a deity that hails from Japanese roots. I am the dragon god of the sea."

Here Markus was intrigued. He didn't know that other gods even existed. But, then again, it was kind of self-centred to believe that the Greek pantheon was the only existing pantheon out there. So it made sense, at least.

"So… you're a, uh, Shinto version of Poseidon, then?" Markus asked, curious. After a moment, he realized that what he said was wrong thing to say, as the air felt heavy and tense. Markus could feel Ryūjin's annoyance before he could see it. His reptilian eyes glowed dangerously.

Markus gulped. Now he knew he fucked up. Badly.

The god growled, a deep growl that set the hairs on Markus standing up. He shivered, in fear or in cold, he didn't know, but he was now cautious and a bit fearful. Ryūjin's presence wasn't like Ares's, or Dionysus's, or even Hecate's. They all paled in comparison to the dragon god. His aura felt older and more powerful. More dangerous.

"Don't _ever_ compare me with that pathetic sea god of yours," he snarled. His dragon pendant glowed, humming with blue power. "I will forgive you for your little slip up, since you have not encountered my kind before, but remember that, _boy._ " Here Markus nodded quickly. While he didn't scare easily, right now was an acceptable time to be scared shitless.

Ryūjin now sighed, and the dangerous atmosphere subsided. "That miserable reject of a sea god doesn't deserve to be compared to me. He is tied to this place, the United States. He doesn't even visit his own homeland. Whereas I reside in Japan, in _my_ palace underwater, Ryūgū-jō. _That_ is why I'm considered to be more powerful. But enough about me." Here Ryūjin looked directly towards Markus, his eyes fixed on him. "I'd never imagine that the sea brat's son would visit here. I'm just here for the beach. But you interest me, Markus Henderson. Your journey isn't a steady one, from what I can see. You share one aspect of the sea that I can respect: the unpredictability of the sea. Just like the how the sea changes tides, so too does your future."

"You've seen my future?" Markus asked, a bit irritated. He shared Luke's sentiment of hating prophecies, of never receiving straight answers about his own future.

Ryūjin grinned, showing his unnaturally large fangs. "Only glimpses. I don't really like dealing with the future myself. Nor am I interested in it also. I like to take things at its own pace."

"So what can you tell me from the glimpses you've seen?" Markus asked eagerly, wanting to know more on what his future was about.

The god just grinned mischievously. "Ah, ah, ah. Now that would be telling. All I'm willing to say is that you're going to bring a great change. To your own pantheon and others." Here he took off his dragon pendant and handed it to him. "Here, kid. A little token from lil' old me. It allows you to contact me, so we can have little chats if you want. Don't lose it."

"Thank you," Markus said, thankful for the gift, and putting it into his bag. Getting a gift from a god seemed to be a pretty big thing, discounting what Ares gave the group. "I'll hold onto it."

"Oh, I know you will," Ryūjin said. Then he leaned in. "Also, I hope you'll keep this 'secret' meeting just between us. Wouldn't want any Greek gods to bother us, now would we?" He said it casually, but Markus could sense the underlying threat.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone," Markus promised.

Ryūjin nodded, then smiled. "Well, on that happy note, good luck!" And with that, the god disappeared. No flash, no gust of wind. Just blink, and he was gone.

Immediately, the sound from the store came back, along with the crowds of customers. It was like nothing had happened.

Thinking on what happened, Markus bought the rest of his water bottles and met up with the group. They didn't question on why he took longer than necessary. Maybe the meeting with the dragon god didn't take as long as he thought. He put that at the back of his mind at the moment.

With the rest of their money, they took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip he'd taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but the guy never heard of DOA Recording Studios.

"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," he told Percy. "You a child actor or something?"

And immediately after he said that, Markus used the Mist to convince the man that they were stunt doubles of a new action film coming out. The guy asked for autographs as they got off at the next stop.

They wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book either.

Twice, they had to duck into alleys to avoid cop cars.

Percy saw his stepdad on the television, fake crying about how Percy was some terrorist in training and how he wanted his car back. They also had a grainy picture of them and Ares outside that diner in Denver. Grover had to pull him away before he tried to punch the TV and window in anger. Markus reassured him that his stepfather would pay. Percy seemed happy about that.

It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the street to play. Markus told the group which people to properly avoid. He wasn't used to the streets of L.A., which seemed bigger than New York.

They walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at them like they were trying to figure if the group was worth the trouble of mugging.

As the questers hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."

And like a dumbass, Percy stopped.

Before they knew it, the group was surrounded. A gang of kids had circled them. Six of them in all – white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces.

They reminded Markus of bratty kids who thought they were all big shots.

Instinctively, Percy uncapped Riptide.

Markus could've facepalmed at his action.

When the sword appeared out of nowhere, the kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave, because he kept coming at Percy with a switchblade.

Then Percy made the mistake of swinging.

The kid yelped. Well, he was 100% mortal, because the blade passed harmlessly right through his chest.

He looked down. "What the –"

Percy figured they had three seconds before his shock turned to anger. "Run!" he screamed at the others as Markus provided them with a distraction. He tackled one boy to the ground and tripped another.

Following after the group, Markus caught up with them. They didn't know where they were going, and sharply turned a corner.

"There!" Annabeth shouted.

There were two stores on the block open, their windows blaring neon. One had a sign above the door saying something like CRSTUY'S WATRE BDE ALPACE.

The other store didn't have a sign, and looked a bit run down.

"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated the sign of the first store.

"Split up!" Markus yelled out. "They won't be able to follow us!"

With that, Markus drifted away from the group, making a split-second decision and ran into the nameless store.

When he looked back, he saw that the others didn't follow him. "Great," Markus muttered. With that, he decided to look around the store, which looked like a book store to him, and meet up with the others later.

There were several rows of books, from thin children books, to thick and heavy ancient ones. It didn't look like a library, though. More like a small shopping centre with books.

When Markus looked up, he saw a tiny sign dangling from the ceiling. When he saw it, it looked like PIRTACK'S KOBO STROE. From looking around, Markus guessed it said PATRICK'S BOOK STORE.

It suddenly occurred to him that the place might not be abandoned. His suspicions were right when a voice from behind said, "How may I help you?"

Markus almost jumped three feet off the ground, his heart lurching in his chest.

It was a woman who spoke. She was roughly in her late forties, with blonde hair, blue eyes, straight teeth and wore a dark green dress.

Thinking quickly, Markus responded, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just –"

"You were hiding from those no-good hooligans, weren't you?" she said, her face twisting in displeasure. "They always come here, disturbing the peace of some shops. They're nuisances, they are. But enough about them, would you like to purchase a book?"

"I'd like to see what's on sale, actually," Markus said, his hand trained on the keychain that held Wavebreaker. He didn't trust this woman one bit, despite her calm appearance. But Markus thought that this could be the perfect opportunity to study more on his magic. Despite the high chance of him finding no such thing here, he was still curious. He was sure the others could wait for him a little while.

"Oh, and what would you like to see?" the woman asked.

"Do you have books on occult research?" Markus asked. "It's for school research?"

"As a matter of fact dear, I do. But not many people are interested in such a thing, so they're in the back."

"It's fine."

"Well right this way," she said, waving her hand for him to follow.

Markus did, his hand still on Wavebreaker in figurine form.

Both of them walked towards a large pile of books that were shoved to one side, sprawled everywhere.

"I didn't get the chance to arrange all of them," the woman explained about the messy state. If you need help finding any book, I'm just a call away." With that, she walked away.

Thankfully, there was a leather chair and table nearby. Markus looked at all the books on occult research and found stuff like witchcraft and sorcery. But they looked like forged copies. He dug deeper into the pile and pulled books on spell-crafting and, surprisingly, rune magic.

Curious about the last one, he brought it out, the book weighing roughly ten pounds, with a large number of pages.

Markus opened the cover and turned to the first page. On it was a sort of introduction on runes.

 _Runes_

 _Runes are considered to be an ancient language. They are considered to be the secret language of the universe. They have been first discovered by sorcerers in 150 AD. There are many variations: Grecian, Norse, Egyptian, Japanese, and so on. There have been sightings of runes in places like Sweden, Germany and Denmark. Many sorcerers and witches have used the ancient language for many things: sealing, teleportation, offence and defence. Runes have many different uses. While they are a set language, runes can be used in different ways. They are always changing, always shifting into different forms for people to use._

 _Not many who study the arcane arts know much about runes. Very few even master the art. The only known masters are the famous ones seen in the past, the likes of Merlin, Le Fay, and many others. While many beings and magical creatures are capable of using runes, understanding the top requires deep study and skill._

Markus was stunned at the knowledge he had received. To know that Merlin and Le Fay actually existed was shocking. Which also meant that King Arthur was real too.

But he was more interested in the study of runes. Turning the page, he continued reading.

 _Different types of runes have different applications. Norse runes are mostly known to be destructive and used for offence. Japanese runes, or kanjis, are used for defence and mysterious means. They all have different ways of being used and understood._

Then there was a list of runes for different categories. For each native rune, there was an image used. As well as language that Markus didn't understand. But he was still giddy with the knowledge that he now had. This could further improve his magical studies. Not to mention the power behind each rune if cast properly.

He closed the book and grabbed a couple more books on magic. He stood up and went the front desk. Markus was about to ring the bell on the desk, but the woman had already appeared.

"Uh, I was wondering if I could purchase these books?" Markus asked.

"Of coursssse dear," she said with a hiss.

Markus could almost sigh at the obvious display of a monster.

The old lady had now started to transform into her true appearance. Maybe some sort of snake lady, given her growing scales and now visible fangs.

Markus didn't give her any time to transform. He leaped forward, slicing into the monster with Wavebreaker fully out. The blade sliced through her clean, causing her to wail and explode into gold dust.

Markus huffed. He was _really_ to hate snakes and snake monsters right now.

Taking his books and putting them into his bag, he dashed out of the book store, quickly going into the water bed store, and saw the others waiting. Percy looked fine, but Annabeth and Grover were wincing and stretching. They suddenly looked a little taller now, for some reason. Surrounding them were dozens of water beds, all of different sizes.

"Hey guys," Markus called out, getting their attention. "What happened?"

Percy gave a brief explanation on what happened, while Markus informed them on what happened with him.

After they were done, Markus said, "So Annie and Grover got some bondage treatment from Procrustes the Stretcher?"

After he said that, both Grover and Annabeth turned red, while Percy struggled not to laugh at that. "I hate you," Annabeth said, face cherry red. "So much."

"Aw, love you too," Markus teased.

Come on, guys," Percy said. "The Underworld is only a block away." He waved his hands in the direction ahead.

"Yippee," Markus muttered with false cheerfulness.

 **Greetings to you all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So, there's a cameo for Ryūjin, Shinto god of the sea in this chapter. I told you guys I was introducing other pantheons into the story. More pantheons will appear later on, as promised.**

 **Also, I hope you like my introduction of magic, specifically runes. I admit, it's not perfect but hopefully you liked it. There'll be more explanations and shows of magic later on in the fic. I'll also bring more stuff from Dr. Strange and Harry Potter, which I haven't forgotten.**

 **If you want more displays of magic from different sources, let me know.**

 **Read and review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

They stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS.

Underneath, stencilled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece. All he needed was a donut.

Percy turned to the group. "Okay. You remember the plan."

"The plan," Grover gulped. "Yeah, I love the plan."

"What happens if the plan doesn't work?" Annabeth asked, worry in her tone.

"Don't think negative," Percy suggested.

"Right," she said. "We're entering the Land of the Dead, and I shouldn't think negative."

Percy took his own set of pearls out of his pocket. The rest were with Markus. They didn't seem like much of a backup plan in case something went wrong.

Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Percy. You're right, we'll make it. It'll be fine."

She gave Grover a nudge.

"Oh, right!" he chimed in. "We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mum. No problem."

Markus patted his shoulder, grinning while doing so. "We got this, baby brother. Just make sure you close your mouth and we'll be fine."

He looked at all three of them, and felt really grateful. Only a few moments before, two of them nearly got stretched to death on deluxe water beds, and now they were trying to be brave for his sake, trying to make him feel better.

Percy slipped the pearls back in his pocket. "Let's whup some Underworld butt."

Markus stopped the group right there by laughing, clutching his stomach.

"What is it, now?" Percy asked indignantly.

"T-that's your i-inspiring speech?" Markus asked while still laughing.

"Yeah. What about it?"

Markus stopped laughing, shaking his head. "Okay. Watch, baby brother. This is how you do it. Huddle up, people." The group did so, heads crammed together. "Now, we are about to enter the Underworld, the Land of the Dead, to confront Hades, my undead uncle. And all we have are our wits, our skills, and our guts. The situation may seem dire, but together, we can succeed! We can be victorious! We can conquer! So say it with me!" Here Markus broke the group huddle and stood in front of the door, foot raised up. "So join me, brothers and sister-in-arms! This may be madness, but nay." Markus kicked the door, making it snap open, almost breaking it off its hinges. "This-is-Sparta!"

After that 'inspiring' speech, Markus stepped forward, leaving the group behind him.

The others watched him, befuddled. And then they burst into laughter at the whole thing, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"W-well," Grover said, still chuckling. "At least he knows how to make an entrance."

"That he does," Annabeth said, giggling.

Percy himself laughed. And Markus said that _he_ should be careful of what he did. He was glad that his brother was here with him.

The group joined Markus in the DOA lobby.

Muzak played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and the walls were steel grey. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or now staring at the group, after Markus's bizarre entrance. Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything. Wow, they really got the 'dead humour' theme right.

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so they had to look up at him.

He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-coloured skin and bleached-blonde hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

Percy read the name tag, then looked at him in bewilderment, "You're name is Chiron?"

Markus facepalmed. "Not even five seconds," he muttered to himself.

The man leaned across the desk. You couldn't see anything in his glasses except your own reflection, but his smile was sweet and cold, like a python's, right before it eats you.

"What a precious young lad." He had a strange accent – British, maybe, though it sounded like English was his second language. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"N-no."

"Sir," he added smoothly.

"Sir," Percy said.

He pinched the name tag and ran his finger under the letters. "Can you read this, mate? It says C-H-A-R-O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON."

"Charon."

"Amazing! Now Mr. Charon."

"Mr. Charon," Percy said with more certainty.

"Well done." He sat back. "I hate being confused with that old horse-man. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

His question caught Percy off-guard. He immediately turned to Markus for help.

Markus mentally sighed as he began his plan. "We would like to go to the Underworld, please," he said with a pleasant smile on his face.

Chiron's mouth twitched. "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" Annabeth asked.

"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'" He looked them over. "How did you die, then?"

"Got ran over by a bus," Markus told him casually, as if the idea was nice.

Charon nodded, as if he'd experienced the situation before. "Yeah, there are a lot of cases for you guys. 'Don't get run over,' I said. 'Why can't you die a decent death, ya know?' Honestly, you people won't shut up about it all."

He grimaced but eventually sighed and stared at them with boredom. "I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price t your last cable bill. But with children… alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"Oh, but we have coins." Percy set three golden drachmas on the counter, which was part of the stash they'd found in Crusty's office desk.

"Well, now…" Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in…"

His fingers hovered greedily over the coins.

They were so close.

Then Charon looked at Percy. That cold stare behind his glasses seemed to bore a hole through his chest. "Here now," he said. "You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

"No," Percy said. "I'm dead."

"You're about to be," Markus said, glaring at Percy.

Charon leaned forward and took a sniff. "You're not dead. I should've known. You're a godling."

"We have to get to the Underworld," Percy insisted.

Charon made a growling sound deep in his throat.

Immediately, all the people in the waiting room got up and started pacing, agitated, lighting cigarettes, running hands through their hair, or checking their wristwatches.

"Leave while you can," Charon told them. "I'll just take these and forgot I saw you."

He started to go for the coins, but Percy quickly snatched them back.

"No service, no tip," Percy said, trying to sound brave.

Charon growled again – a deep, blood-chilling sound. The spirits of the dead started pounding on the elevator doors.

"It's a shame, too," Percy sighed. "We had more to offer." He said this while holding up the entire bag from Crusty's stash. He took a fistful of drachmas and let the coins spill through his fingers. This made Markus drool almost as much as Charon was.

His growl changed into something more like a lion's purr. "Do you think I can be bought, godling? Eh… just out of curiosity, how much have you got there?"

"A lot," Percy said, a smirk coming to his face. "I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day?"

Always 'Please don't let me be dead' or 'Please let me across for free.' I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?"

"You deserve better," the boy agreed. "A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay."

With each word, he stacked another gold coin on the counter. Markus was trying not to get carried away, but damn, that was a lot of money!

Charon glanced down at his silk Italian jacket, as if imagining himself in something even better. "I must say, lad, you're making some sense now. Just a little."

Percy stacked another few coins ."I could mention a pay raise while I'm talking to Hades."

He sighed. "The boat's almost full, anyway. I might as well add you four and be off."

He stood up, scooping up the money, and said, "Come along."

As they pushed through the crowd, Markus insisted on carrying the pouch of drachmas. When asked why, he said it was better to keep it in his hands. Inwardly, however, he was whooping at the amount of money that he had.

The spirits started grabbing at the group's clothes like the wind, their voices whispering things you couldn't make out. Charon shoved them out of the way, grumbling, "Freeloaders."

He escorted them into the elevator, which was already crowded with souls of the dead, each one holding a green boarding pass. Charon grabbed two spirits who were trying to get on with them and pushed them back into the lobby.

"Right. Now, no one get any ideas while I'm gone," he announced to the waiting room. "And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand?"

He shut the doors. He put a key card into a slot in the elevator panel and they started to descend.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"Nothing," Charon said.

"For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."

"Oh," she said. "That's… fair."

Charon raised an eyebrow. "Whoever said death was fair, young miss? Wait until it's your turn. You'll die soon enough, where you're going."

"We plan to live, thank you very much," Markus said with narrowed eyes.

"Ha."

Markus suddenly felt a bit dizzy when they stopped going down, but moved forward. The air turned misty. The spirits around them started changing shape. Their modern clothes flickered, turning into grey hooded robes. The floor of the elevator started swaying.

It was then Charon's creamy Italian suit had been replaced by a long black robe. His tortoiseshell glasses were gone. Where his eyes should've been were empty sockets – like Ares's eyes, except Charon's were totally dark, full of night and death and despair. The flesh of his face was becoming transparent, letting you see straight through to his skull.

The floor kept swaying.

Grover said, "I think I'm getting seasick."

The elevator wasn't an elevator anymore. They were standing in a wooden barge.

Charon was now poling them across a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other stranger things – plastic dolls, crushed carnations, soggy diplomas with gilt edges. To Markus, it was the worst river that he'd ever looked at, and he'd seen the East River on its worst day.

"The River Styx," Annabeth murmured. "It's so…"

"Polluted," Charon said. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything you come across – hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management if you ask me."

Mist curled off the filthy water. Above them, almost lost in the gloom, was a ceiling of stalactites. Ahead, the far shore glimmered with greenish light, the colour of poison.

Markus had a foreboding thought: his mum might be among the ones who were dead. Hell, she might even be one of the spirits who were on the boat with them. He never realised until now that he might meet his mother in the Underworld. That fact scared him more than it relieved him. He didn't think he could stand the sight of his mother as a drifting spirit in this place.

Annabeth grabbed hold of Percy's hand while she also held onto Markus's. Under normal circumstances, this would've embarrassed him, but he understood how she felt. She wanted reassurance that somebody was alive on this boat.

Percy wanted to pray, but he didn't think it would go through. Only one god mattered here and he was about to come face to face with him.

The shorelines of the Underworld came into view. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction as far as the group could see.

A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stone – the howl of a large animal.

"Old Three-Face is hungry," Charon said. His smile turned skeletal in the greenish light. "Bad luck for you, godlings."

To calm his nerves, Markus started to hum the 'Spooky Scary Skeleton' song that he heard one Halloween. The others looked at him strangely, but he ignored them. It was catchy.

The bottom of their boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. A woman holding a little girl's hand. An old man and an old woman hobbling together arm in arm. A boy no older than they were, shuffling silently along in his grey robe.

Charon said, "I'd wish you luck, mate, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise."

He counted their golden coins into his pouch, then took up his pole. He started to sing something that sounded like a Barry Manilow song as he ferried the empty barge back across the river.

The questers followed the spirits up a well-worn path.

Now, one would think the entrance to the Underworld would be the stereotypical Pearly Gates, or some big black portcullis, or something. But the entrance looked like a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.

There were three separate entrances under one huge black archway that said: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top.

Beyond this were tollbooths manned by black-robed ghouls like Chiron.

The howling of the hungry animal was really loud now, but they couldn't see where it was coming from. The three-headed dog, Cerberus, who was supposed to guard Hades's door, was nowhere to be seen.

The dead queued up in the three lines, two marked ATTENDANCE ON DUTY, and one marked EZ DEATH. The EZ DEATH line was moving right along. The other two were crawling.

"What do you figure?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," she said. "No contest. They don't want to risk judgement from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?" Markus asked with a blink.

"Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare, people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward – the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields."

"And do what?" Percy asked curiously.

Grover said, "Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever."

"Harsh," Markus commented, while Percy nodded in agreement.

"Not as harsh as that," Grover muttered. "Look."

A couple of black-robed ghouls had pulled aside one spirit and were frisking him to the security desk. The face of the dead man looked vaguely similar.

"He's that preacher who made the news, remember?" Grover asked.

"Oh, yeah." Percy did remember now. He'd seen him on TV a couple of times at the Yancy Academy dorm. He was this annoying televangelist from upstate New York who'd raised millions of dollars for orphanages and then got caught spending the money on stuff for his mansion, like gold-plated toilet seats, and an indoor putt-putt golf course. He'd died in a police chase when his 'Lamborghini of the Lord" went off a cliff.

Percy asked, "What're they doing to him?"

"Probably some special punishment from Hades," Grover assumed. "The really bad people get his personal attention as soon as they arrive. The Fur – the Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him."

The thought of the Furies made Percy shudder. He was in their home field now, and old Mrs. Dodds would be licking her lips with anticipation.

"But if he's a preacher," Percy said with a knitted brow in thought, "and he believes in a different hell…"

Grover shrugged. "Who's to say he's seeing this place the way we're seeing it? Humans see what they want to see. You're very stubborn – er, persistent, that way."

They got closer to the gates. The howling was so loud now it shook the ground at their feet, but they still couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

Then, about fifty feet in front of them, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster.

They hadn't seen it before because it was half-transparent, like the dead. Until it moved, it blended with whatever was behind it. Only its eyes and teeth looked solid. And it was staring straight at them.

Percy's jaw hung open. All he could think to say was, "He's a Rottweiler."

He'd always imagined Cerberus as a big black mastiff. But he was obviously a purebred Rottweiler, except of course that he was twice the size of a woolly mammoth, mostly invisible, and had three heads.

The dead walked up to him – no fear at all. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him. The EZ DEATH spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching.

"I'm starting to see him better," Percy muttered. "Why is that?"

"I think…" Annabeth moistened her lips. "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead."

"Or we're getting accustomed to the Underworld," Markus suggested. His suggestion seemed more positive, so he stuck with it.

The dog's middle head craned towards them. It sniffed the air and growled.

"It can smell the living," Percy said with a gulp.

"But that's okay," Grover said, trembling next to him. "Because we have a plan."

"Right," Annabeth said. They'd never heard her voice sound quite so small.

"I know this plan is going to be fucked up," Markus muttered. "I just know it."

They moved towards the monster.

The middle head snarled at them, then barked so loud that they almost shook out of their shoes.

Markus was ruffling through his bag for a solution, because he knew somehow that Percy would fuck up the plan. Call it brotherly intuition.

"Can you understand it?" Percy asked Grover.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I can understand it."

"What's it saying?"

"I don't think humans have a four-letter word that translates, exactly."

"Screw it," Markus muttered, finally getting something out of his bag. He found that it was… an MP3 player. Where the hell did he get this? It had the Waterland logo on it, along with images of starfishes and beach balls. He shrugged. What the hell? It could work. Besides, Markus recalled that in the myths, Cerberus was put to sleep by music.

Markus pressed the play button, and instantly a theme song began to play. Specifically, the Aquaman theme song from the cartoon series.

The growling three heads stopped and turned to Markus, as did the group. The three dog heads were swaying to the theme as he sat down with a small quake, sitting on some of the spirits of the dead. His tail was wagging happily to the theme.

Markus almost laughed at how the situation played out. So the big bad Cerberus liked cartoon music? Well he wasn't complaining. He was just thankful that he had it on him, somehow.

Eventually the three heads' eyes began to dim. Seeing this chance, Markus turned to the others and whispered, "Go. I'll catch up."

"What about you?" Percy asked.

"I need to constantly repeat it," Markus said. "Go."

Cerberus' heads started to yawn and laid down on his belly to listen more.

Seeing this, the group quickly went around Cerberus, catching up with the rest of the spirits at the entrance. When they got there, they waved at Markus to follow.

Markus, still playing the Aquaman theme on his MP3, ran after the group, sliding under Cerberus' belly, where an opening was available.

Cerberus' heads growled, hearing that his music disappeared from in front of him. He barked loudly, making more mini quakes as he did.

Markus ran to join the others at the metal detector.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked his brother, amazed.

Markus shrugged. "Had it in my bag. Don't know how."

"We can talk about it later," Grover said. "Come on!"

They were about to bolt through the EZ DEATH line when Cerberus moaned pitifully from all three mouths. Markus stopped, and turned towards the dog.

Cerberus panted expectantly, waiting for more music to listen to.

"Good boy," Markus said, sounding uncertain as he said it.

The monster's head turned sideways, as if worried about him.

"I'll bring you a whole lot of songs to listen to," Markus said, his voice sounding more certain. He didn't know why he was saying that, since he didn't plan to make any more trips to the Underworld that weren't necessary. But the more he thought about it, he pitied the monster. He probably had never heard music before. Plus, despite his appearance. He was really just a dog that wanted entertainment. And Markus planned to give that to him.

Cerberus' heads turned towards him, looking unsure.

"I promise," Markus said, with utmost certainty. He then turned towards the group. "Let's go."

Grover and Percy pushed through the metal detector, which immediately screamed and set off flashing red lights. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"

Cerberus began to bark.

The kids burst through the EZ DEATH line, which started even more alarms blaring, and raced into the Underworld.

A few minutes later, they were hiding, out of breath, in the rotten trunk of an immense black tree as security ghouls scuttled past, yelling for backup from the Furies.

As they hid, Percy's mind wondered. Even here in the Underworld, everybody – even monsters – needed a little attention once in a while. He thought about that as the questers waited for the ghouls to pass.

 **Hello, everyone! So good to write to you all! So sorry for taking a while to update. I was busy with exams, like I said earlier. So, nothing really new happened here. I added the Aquaman theme song bit, because I found it funny, so why not?**

 **Also, I hope you find out about Markus's other fatal flaw. It's pretty clear by now, but I'll let you figure it out.**

 **Thanks, read and review!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Markus's first feeling on the Fields of Asphodel was that of pity.

It looked like a gigantic field that housed a multi-tragic funeral or something. People would wonder about, murmuring to one another as the dead atmosphere echoed to near nothing as all that was heard was shuffling steps on barely muted feet. The dead would come up to you and try to say something, but he couldn't understand them at all as youcould barely see their face as they shimmered. The dead were angry and saddened, which Markus took notice of. Their mute voice could say nothing as they moved on, just wandering aimlessly. The thick warm moist air surrounded the group as they walked through the black trees - Grover told him they were poplars - grew in clumps here and there.

The cavern ceiling was so high above with wickedly sharp stalactites that gave a faint grey glow. Fallen ones dotted around the fields that impaled themselves in the black grass. It was a good thing the ghosts were dead, no need to worry about those things hitting them.

Annabeth, Grover, Markus and Percy tried to blend in with the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls while they crept along, following the lines of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates towards a black-tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGEMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Welcome Newly Deceased!

Out the back of the tent came two smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path towards the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, one could see people being chased by hell hounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus or listen to opera music. Markus could make out a small hill, with the tiny figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top.

The line coming from the right side of the pavilion was much better. This one lead down towards a small valley surrounded by walls - a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy thing about the Underworld.

Beyond the security gate were neighbourhoods of beautiful houses from every single period in history: Roman villas, medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colours. Markus could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.  
And in an instant he knew what this place was.

Elysium.

In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium.

Immediately, both Markus and Percy knew that was where they wanted to go when they died.

"That's what it's all about," Annabeth said with a soft smile. "That's the place for heroes."

With startling realization, Markus said, "M-my mum. S-she might be in there."

It was entirely possible. Considering how she died - protecting him from monsters as he ran off - that was bound to get her to land here. Maybe…

The group could see the longing and small hope that he had in his eyes. It looked like he wanted to go into Elysium and see his mother for himself./span/p

Percy grabbed his hand gently, showing that he was there for him.

Markus nodded slightly, silently thanking him for that.

Looking back on the place, Elysium seemed so small, while the Fields of Punishment and Asphodel were so much bigger. Guess humanity had little good going around in them.

It was kind of disheartening, to be honest./span/p

They left the judgement pavilion and moved deeper into the Asphodel Fields. It got darker. The colours faded from their clothes. The crowd of chattering spirits began to thin.

After a few miles of walking, the group began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering rock obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark bat-like creatures: the Furies.

Well, some monsters were eager for a rematch.

"I suppose it's too late to turn back," Grover said wistfully.

"We'll be okay," Percy said, trying to sound confident.

"Maybe we should search some other places first," Grover suggested quickly. "Like Elysium, for instance…"

"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said, grabbing his arm.

Grover yelped. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

"But I didn't -"

He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from them.

"Hey! Grover!" Markus shouted, trying to grab for him.

"Maia!" Grover yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! Nine-one-one! Help!"

Percy got over being stunned and made a grab for Grover's hand, but was too late. Grover was picking up speed, skidding downhill like a bob sled as the demigods quickly gave chase.

Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!"

It was a smart idea, but not as easy when your shoes are pulling you feet first at full speed. Grover tried to sit up, but he couldn't get close to the laces.

They kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he ripped between the legs of the spirits who chattered at him in annoyance.

Percy was sure Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades' palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction.

The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. The demigods had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and then they had entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

"Grover!" Percy yelled, voice echoing. "Hold onto something!"

"What?" he yelled back.

He was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down.

The tunnel got darker and colder. It smelled evil down here. It made your hair stand on ends as it felt like you were entering a den of deranged murderers.

Then Markus and Percy saw what was ahead of them, and they stopped dead in their tracks.

The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block.

Grover was sliding straight towards the edge.

"Come on, guys!" Annabeth yelled, tugging at the boys' wrists.

"But that's -" Percy muttered with wide eyes.

"I know!" she shouted. "The place you described in your dreams! But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him." That shook the kids out of their shock as they started the chase again.

Grover was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him towards the pit, and it didn't look like they would get to him in time.

What saved him were his hooves.

The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. It was now slow enough that Grover could grab hold of the big rock and use it like an anchor.

He was ten feet from the edge of the pit when the kids caught him and hauled him back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around them angrily and tried to kick them before Markus opened one of his water bottles and used the water to blast it, sending it down the chasm to join its twin with an injured wing.

They all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. To Percy, his limbs felt like lead, and his backpack seemed heavier, as if somebody had filled it with bricks.

Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.

"I don't know how…" The satyr panted. "I didn't…"

"Wait," Percy said, straining his ears. "Listen."  
They all heard something - a deep whisper in the darkness.

Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, Markus, this place -"

"Shh." Percy stood.

"This is bad news," Markus said, looking at the pit cautiously.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below them. Coming from the pit.

Grover sat up. "Wh-what's that noise?"

Annabeth heard it too, now, her eyes widened. "Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus." Percy uncapped Anaklusmos while Markus got out Wavebreaker.

The bronze swords expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.

You could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek. As if…

"Magic," Percy said, his sea green eyes wide.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said, gulping at the old words.

"Kronos."

As soon as Markus muttered that name, the chanting stopped. The group felt ice fill their veins, the air leaving them. It seemed like the the voice didn't like being interrupted. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold and dark. Grover shivered, bleating out goat nonsense in a panic. Annabeth clutched her beads necklace nervously, fear evident in her eyes. Percy's sword arm was shaking. Markus could see that he was trying to look brave, but it didn't seem to work.

Then the chanting continued where it left off, faster, stronger, hungrier.

Markus had a bad feeling about what might happen if they stayed here for too long. He turned to the group. "We need to leave. Now."  
The group was frozen stiff, but they managed to move, running slightly. The voice behind them got louder and angrier, and they broke into a sprint.

Not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at their backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, Percy lost ground, his feet slipping in the gravel. If they'd been any closer to the edge, they would've been sucked in.

Struggling forward, they finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Something was not happy that they'd gotten away.

"What was that?" Grover panted, when the group collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades' pets?" he suggested, clearly not wanting to even think it was what Markus said it was.

Markus turned to Grover, putting Wavebreaker away. "You know what that was, Grover," he said gravely. "Or rather _who_ that was."

Annabeth looked like she was in too much of a panic to even think about it, too scared to even agree with the notion Markus made. "I-I thought he wasn't - isn't he supposed to be -"

She seemed startled, as well as scared. Markus didn't blame her. He didn't even bother pointing out that he was right all along. It just didn't seem like the right time.

Percy seemed scared, which no one blamed him for.

Percy capped his sword, putting the pen back in his pocket. "Let's keep going." He said, turning to Grover. "Can you walk?"

He swallowed. "Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway."

Grover tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as the rest of the group. Whatever was in that pit was nobody's pet. It was unspeakably old and powerful. Was Markus right? Was that really their grandfather, Kronos? The truth seemed to terrify him. He almost wished it were false. Then Percy slapped his face lightly, telling himself to keep going forward. He sighed in relief with his back towards the pit now.

Desperate to leave the pit behind, they headed towards the palace of Hades.

The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open.

Up close, the group could tell that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times - an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls - but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago. Like some deranged prophecies that had come true.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden they'd ever seen. Multicoloured mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as a fist, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues — petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs — all sporting some twisted expression between a smile and a scream.

"Well, at least the Underworld is into art, at least," Markus joked slightly to lift the heavy atmosphere. It didn't seem to work.

In the centre of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

It was then Percy remembered the story of Persephone. One bite of Underworld food, and they would never be able to leave. Markus had to pull Grover back to stop him from eating a particular juicy pomegranate.

They walked up the steps of the palace, between gleaming black marble columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. They never had to worry about rain down here it seems.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armour, some British redcoat uniforms, some in camouflage uniforms with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered the questers, but their hollow eye sockets followed them as they walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at them, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

"Or have that many visitors," Markus added.

Percy's backpack weighed a ton now and he couldn't figure out why. He wanted to check what had somehow secretly jumped in there, but this wasn't the time.

Markus, noticing this, asked, "You all right, Percy?"  
Not wanting his brother to worry about him, he nodded. "Yeah, fine."

Markus probably would've said more, but, seeing Percy's mood, dropped the matter.

"Well, guys," said Percy. "I suppose we should...knock?"

As if in response to his words, hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth mumbled with a shaky breath to calm her nerves.

The room inside looked just like in Percy's dream, except this time the throne of Hades was occupied.

Hades was the third god Markus and Percy had met (well, fifth for Markus, counting Hecate and Ryūjin), but the first who really struck them as godlike.

He was at least ten feet tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power. He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.

Markus had to remember to take a breath. He wasn't going to show fear here.

Hades' aura was affecting him, just as Ares' had. The Lord of the Dead resembled pictures you'd see of Adolph Hitler, or Napoleon, or the terrorist leaders who directed suicide bombers. Hades had the same intense eyes, the same kind of mesmerizing, seductive charisma.

"You are brave to come here, Sons of Poseidon," Hades said in an oily voice. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

He looked at them, expecting one of them to speak.

Markus had the sudden feeling of kneeling at the foot of Hades' throne. Just for a little nap. It would be so ni-

And instantly, Markus smacked himself. He then steeled himself, refusing to fall under Hades' spell.

Percy swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward. "Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

Markus mentally groaned. Somehow, he knew this was all going to be screwed.

Hades raised an eyebrow and sat forward in his throne, causing shadowy faces to appear in the folds of his black robes, faces howlingly silently in torment, as if the garment were stitched out of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. One had to wonder if that was the same for all of his clothes. Markus pitied the souls who were stitched into Hades' underwear. Damn, that was harsh.

"Only two requests?" Hades scoffed. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

Percy glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades'. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. He wished Queen Persephone was here. The boy recalled something in the myths about how she could calm her husband's moods. But it was summer. Of course, Persephone would be above in the world of light with her mother, the goddess of agriculture, Demeter. Her visits, not the tilt of the planet, create the seasons.

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded him in the back.

"Lord Hades," Percy said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be... bad."

"Really bad." commented Grover.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Markus' eyes widened in disbelief at his words. He didn't know much about godly etiquette, but even he knew that Percy messed up in what he said.

Hades' eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you both have done?"

Here Markus decided to intervene. "After what we've done? But we haven't anything."

"Yeah. What exactly have we done?" Percy asked curiously.  
The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godlings?"

Percy looked like he was going to say something, but decided not to. Good. It was probably something dumb.

"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said instead. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

"Well…"

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

Percy wanted to answer him but Hades was now on a roll.

"More security ghouls," he moaned. "Traffic problems at the judgement pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"And speaking of expenses," Markus interjected. "Charon wanted a pay raise." Sure, probably a dumb move. But Percy pretty much started it, might as well continue.

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godlings. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"But you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, children, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?"

"You both were the thieves on the winter solstice," he said. "Your father thought to keep you two his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus. You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, and sent the dracanae after you, Markus Henderson, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You two will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

"Wait, wait, hold up," Markus said, shocked. "Why would you believe we stole your helm. We didn't even know about the Greek gods before!"

"Don't play innocent, boy! The other demigod and the satyr have been helping you two - coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt - to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"No!" Percy said. "Poseidon didn't - we didn't -"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But -"

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death!" Hades shouted. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson and Markus Henderson - your skeletons will lead my army out of Hades."

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

"That's bullshit," Markus called out, furious. He was sick of being blamed for shit he didn't even do! "You threaten us, when we have never done you any wrong. We didn't even know about your stupid helm!"

"Yeah. You're as bad as Zeus," Percy said. "You think we stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me? And the dracanae after Markus?"

"Of course," Hades said.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you - I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?" both Markus and Percy blinked.

"Return my property!"

"But we don't have your helm. We came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fools, thinking you could you threaten me!"

"But none of us did!"  
"Open your pack, then," Hades commanded and Percy felt dread. Was that why that pack was so heavy?

Percy slung it off his shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "How -"

"I - I don't know. I don't understand."

Markus tried to figure out how all of this came about, so he traced it back to the source. After a second, his eyes widened, and exclaimed, "That sneaky son of a bitch!"

He then turned to Hades, waving his hands peacefully, trying to quell the rising tension. "Wait, uncle. This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at Percy eagerly and flicked her whip.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come - I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded in front of Percy, and what was revealed was Sally Jackson, frozen in time. She looked like she had when the Minotaur caught her and tried to squeeze her to death.

That's just cruel, Markus thought with a glare.

Then Hades turned to him. "Do not think I have forgotten about you, Markus Henderson."

Confused, Markus looked to Hades, who waved his hand, and a spectral, pale ball of light appeared in the throne room, right beside Hades' throne. The ball then grew bigger, turning into the shape of a person. The features were blank, showing a body of a formless spirit.

Then it began to grow features: long hair the colour of the spectral light, feminine features across the face, a long flowing gown appearing over her body. Markus didn't recognize who it was at first, but when the features settled in, when they were becoming familiar, he gasped. He almost broke down in tears.

"M-mum," he croaked, seeing the spirit taking the form of Melissa Henderson, his mother.

The ghost looked like she was sleeping. She looked the same as when she died, in Markus' opinion. But now she looked like some doll, some inanimate object that was treated like a toy. Seeing her like this, in front of him, made him furious.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took them. I knew, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let Sally Jackson go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change. As for Melissa Henderson, she is a ghost in my domain. Displease me, and she will be sent to the Fields of Punishment for eternity. Her soul shall never find rest."

Hearing that he took her from her resting place and was about to suffer eternal punishment because of a stupid night cap, Markus roared in rage. He took out Wave breaker, brandishing the sword in his hand. "Let her go, Hades! She has nothing to do with this!"

"And she will be returned safely," Hades said. "As long as I get my helm back."

Markus would've leaped up and started slashing at Hades if Annabeth and Grover hadn't grabbed him together, holding him in place. Still he was shaking in fury. How dare that bastard bargain with his mother like that? Markus immediately forgot about his defence for Hades previously. Now he was a Grade-A jackass.

"Don't you dare touch her!" he roared. "Neither Percy or I have the damn thing! Both our mums have nothing to do with this! If you so much as touch her, I swear I will destroy you!"

"You dare threaten me, demigod?!" Hades roared also.

"I'm not threatning, you bastard! I'm making a promise! Damn it, let me go!" he said the last part to the two who were holding him.

"No! If you do, you'll die!" Grover exclaimed, struggling to hold him after he elbowed him in the nose.

"I don't care! He -"

"We know, Markus!" Annabeth said. "We know how angry you are, believe us. But if you attack him, he'll kill you and punish your mother anyway!"

He didn't like it. Hell, he loathed the situation right now. If he wasn't so angry, he would've broken down and cried at the situation. How dare that bastard desecrate his mother's memory?

Seeing his brother like that made Percy's heart ache. He was in the same situation he was in. Except Markus' mother was already dead, and was about to be sent to the Fields of Punishment. Whereas his might also end up dead. He thought back to the pearls he and Markus had. Maybe they could get him out of this. If he could just get his mum free-

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said, after calming down from Markus' threat. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."

The boy's hand moved against his will and brought out two of the pearls.

Here Hades looked towards Markus, who was still writhing in rage. "Bring forth your pearls, Markus Henderson. Or your mother shall suffer."

Markus wanted to carve into Hades' face with a rusty knife (along with a lot of other things), but he snarled, and reached into his pocket and brought out his pearls.

"Only four," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take Sally Jackson, then, little godlings. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."/span/p

Percy looked at Markus, Annabeth, and Grover. Their faces were grim.

"We were tricked," Percy told them. "Set up."

"No shit, Sherlock," Markus said, his anger still there.

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked. "And the voice in the pit-"

"I don't know yet," Percy said. "But I intend to ask."

"And I intend to castrate Hades with a rusty knife, and feed his bits to him," Markus growled. None of them commented on the disturbing imagery.

"Decide, boys!" Hades yelled.

"Percy. Markus." Grover put his hand on the boys' shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt."

"I know that." Percy said grimly.

"Leave me here," Grover said. "Use the fourth pearl on your mum. And Markus, your mother can be saved."

"No!"

"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"No." Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You three go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy and Markus. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Get Percy's mum out of here, and save Markus' mum's spirit. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."

"No, let me," Grover insisted.

"Think again, goat boy," Annabeth argued back.

"Enough!" Markus shouted, silencing them both. As much as he wanted his mother's spirit be put to rest, he didn't want to sacrifice his friends for that.

Percy felt the same way, like his heart was being ripped in two. They all had been with him through so much. Grover dive-bombing Medusa in the statue garden, and Markus saving them from Cerberus; and Annabeth helping as well. He had spent thousands of miles worried that he'd be betrayed by a friend, but these friends would never do that. They had done nothing but save him, over and over, and now they wanted to sacrifice their lives for his and Markus' mothers.

He honestly had no words for how lucky he felt to have people like this having his back throughout this whole mess.

"I know what to do," Percy said solemnly. "Take these." He handed out his pearls to Annabeth and Grover. He held out his hand to Markus, who understood what he was doing. He gave him one of his own pearls.

Annabeth said, "But, Percy..."

But Markus shook his head to her. He clapped his hand on Percy's shoulder, giving him some comfort.

Percy turned to his mother. The boy desperately wanted to sacrifice himself and use the last pearl on her, but he knew what she would say. She would never allow it. The bolt had to be brought back to Olympus and the truth told to Zeus. To stop this pointless war. She would never forgive him if he saved her instead. He thought about the prophecy made at Half-Blood Hill, what seemed like a million years ago. _You will fail to save what matters most in the end._

"I'm sorry," Percy told her. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

The smug look on Hades' face faded. "Godling...?"

"We'll find your helm, Uncle," the son of the sea told him. "We'll return it. Remember Charon's pay raise."

"Do not defy me-"

"Also, Cerberus might like an iPod. Apparently, he likes cartoon music." Markus added cheekily.

"Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson, you will not-"

Percy shouted, "Now, guys!"

They smashed the pearls at their feet. For a spine chilling moment, nothing happened.

"Well, shit," Markus muttered.

Hades didn't intend to even give them any time for dramatic effect (damn him!) and yelled, "Destroy them!"

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at their feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. They were each encased in a milky white sphere, which were starting to float off the ground.

Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as they floated up. Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook and it seemed like it wasn't going to be a peaceful night in L.A.

"Look up." Grover yelled. "We're going to crash!"

Sure enough, they were racing right toward the stalactites.

"How do you control these things?" Annabeth shouted.

"I don't think you do!" Percy shouted back.

"Whoo!" Markus cheered in glee. "This is like a roller coaster! And Hades." Here he directed his voice down to the Lord of the Dead. "If you so much as torture my mother's spirit, I swear I will climb back down and beat the shit out of your undead ass!"

They screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and… darkness.

Percy winced his eyes shut, thinking they were dead, but opened them to realize they were going through the earth. For a few more minutes, he couldn't see anything out the magic bubble, then the spheres broke through the ocean floor as the four soared upwards through the water. With a whoosh, they broke through the surface, in the middle of Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

Percy grabbed Grover and hauled him over to a life buoy. He caught Annabeth and dragged her over too. He saw Markus beside him, looking as dry as a bone. A curious shark was circling them, a great white about eleven feet long.

Percy said, "Beat it."

The shark turned and raced away.

The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from them as fast as he could.

Percy wondered what time it was, thankfully Markus took a quick look at the sky and informed them that it was around early morning

Meaning it was June 21, the day of the summer solstice.

In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighbourhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades' fault. He was probably sending an army of the dead after them right now.

But at the moment, the Underworld wasn't their biggest problem.

They had to get to shore and get Zeus' Master Bolt back to Olympus.

And most of all, Percy and Markus had a thing or two he wanted to do to a certain immortal cousin of theirs.

 **Hello, everyone! No spontaneous greeting for you. I'm just going to keep it simple.**

 **Here's another chapter posted. Uhh. Thank God. This was quite a long one, not going to lie.**

 **So, I added the bit where Hades took Markus's mum's soul and also used that as a bargaining tool. Why? I wanted to do something different. Plus Hades didn't have anything to convince Markus, because he believed him to be the thief along with Percy. So I added that part in. But it was also a bit depressing to write. …Oh well.**

 **Next chapter is the fight with Ares, which will introduce another of Markus' powers, as well as a brother tag team battle, which I know some of you have wanted for a while. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Also thanks for the support for the story, all those who reviewed, favourited and followed. Thank you so much.**

 **Read and Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

A Coast Guard boat picked the group up, but they were too busy to keep them for long, or to wonder how four kids in street clothes had gotten to the middle of the bay. Sure, Markus could've used the Mist, but his mind was somewhere else at the moment. Besides, there was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls.

They dropped the questers off at the Santa Monica pier with towels around their shoulders and water bottles that said: I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD!

They then sped off to save more people.

Their clothes were sopping wet, even Percy's and Markus's. Percy convinced Markus to do so as to not raise suspicion.

Percy was also barefoot, because he'd given his shoes to Grover. Better the Coast Guard wonder why one of them was barefoot than wonder why one of them had hooves.

After reaching dry land, they stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise. It was as if they'd just come back from the dead - which they had. Percy's backpack was heavy with Zeus's master bolt. His heart was even heavier from seeing his mother.

"I don't believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all this way -"

"It was a trick," Percy said. "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"He didn't mean it like that," Markus said, his voice low on volume. Seeing his mother in her previous state spooked him quite a bit.

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. "Yeah. Sorry."

"I'm still confused!" Grover complained. "Would somebody -"

"Percy, Markus," Annabeth said. "I'm sorry about your mothers. I'm so sorry…"

Percy pretended not to hear her. If he thought back to it, he might start crying like some little kid. Markus didn't want to think the same thing. He might just break down, which was something that he definitely didn't want do.

"The prophecy was right," Percy said. "' _You shall go west and face the god who has turned_.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Somebody else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades's helm, and framed me and Markus because we're Poseidon's children. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And we'll have caused it."

Grover shook his head, mystified. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?"

Markus glared down towards the end of the beach. "I can think of a few people."

There he was, waiting for them, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its headlights turning the sand red.

"Hey, kids," Ares said, looking genuinely pleased to see them. "You were supposed to die."

"You lying, filthy piece of shit," Markus growled out, furious. "You stole the helm and the master bolt?"

Ares grinned. "Oh, someone's got a filthy mouth on them. Well, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each others symbol of power - that's a big no-no. But you're not the only heroes in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice," Percy said to the god of war.

The idea seemed to amuse him.

"Doesn't matter. The point is, kiddies, you're impeding on the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld. The Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus's master bolt, so Zeus'll get even angrier with him. And Hades is still looking for this…"

From his pocket he took out a ski cap - the kind bank robbers wear - and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"The helm of darkness," Grover gasped.

"Exactly," Ares said. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"You really are a disgusting piece of shit," Markus retorted.

"Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do about it, brat? You can't beat me. To challenge me is foolish, and you know it."

"True, I don't fight pussies," Markus stated, smirking.

"You're really starting to piss me off, brat. You should be lucky I don't strike you down where you stand."

"What, afraid of challenging a twelve-year-old kid? That's so sad. God of war my ass."

Ares growled, a hazy blood-red aura dancing around his figure. The fire in his eyes was intense. "Big talk from a pathetic little mortal."

"Big words for a guy with little to no wit at all," Markus fired back.

"You gave me the backpack in Denver," Percy said, taking over the conversation. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

"Yes and no," Ares said, who was still glaring at Markus. Markus just glared back. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right?"

Percy wasn't sure how he knew that, but since he's seen Riptide in action, it was safe to say Ares probably knew anything about a weapon due to being the war god.

"Anyway," Ares continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades… Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way - no loss. I still had the weapon."

"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?" Percy asked questioningly. "Why send it to Hades?"

Ares got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head. "Why didn't I… yeah… with that kind of firepower…"

He held the trance for one second… two seconds…

Percy exchanged a nervous look with his brother.

Ares's face cleared. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red-handed, holding the thing."

"You're lying," Percy argued, a smirk coming to his face. "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!" Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft," Percy guessed. "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him him. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

Percy hesitated and Markus's eyes widened. "Who said anything about dreams?" the boy asked.

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kids. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. Either of you just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin five at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at them with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

Percy slowly stepped into the surf. "Fight me yourself, Ares."

"Oh fuck no," Markus muttered, dropping his bag and kicking it towards Grover's hooves. "I got some beef to settle with this douchebag." He joined his brother into stepping into the surf.

Ares laughed, but you could hear a little edge to his laughter ... an uneasiness. "You've only got one talent, kid, getting your brother to do everything. Face it, he's the muscle, you're the damsel in distress, simple as that. But even with him, you don't have what it takes to fight me."

"Scared?" Percy taunted.

"Oh, he knows he's scared," Markus scoffed. "All that talk about the war effort and manipulating us, whereas, in the end, he's a pawn himself. Guess he's really all talk."

"In your adolescent dreams." But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes. "No direct involvement. Sorry, kids. You're not at my level."

"Annabeth said, "Guys, run!"

The giant boar charged at Percy as Markus smirked.

As the boar rushed him, Percy uncapped his pen and sidestepped. Riptide appeared and he slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at his feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

Percy shouted with authority, "Wave!"

Immediately, a wave surged up from nowhere and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a blanket. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea.

"Hmm," Markus hummed. "Six out of ten."

"Wait, what?" Percy exclaimed in shock. Was he seriously rating him? Right now?

"I said six out of ten, for performance," Markus explained.

"I cut the boar's tusk off. And summoned a giant wave! How is that a six?!"

Markus shrugged, smiling cheekily. "Well, that's cool and all, but I could do the same thing. Just better. And, while impressive, isn't outstanding. Hence, six out of ten."

Percy grumbled to himself. "Everyone's a critic these days."

He then broke the byplay between the two, and turn towards Ares. "Are you going to fight us now?" he asked. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet?"

Ares's face was purple with rage. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into -"

"A cockroach," The boy said in a bored tone. "Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?"

Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."

"If we lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If we win, the helm and the bolt are ours and you have to go away."

"Interesting terms," Markus said, grinning. "Let's go with a water combo."

"You read my mind," Percy responded, grinning back in return.

He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

Percy showed his sword as Markus pulled out Wavebreaker, following the same action as his brother.

"That's cool, you little brats," he said. "Classic it is." The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Well, someone's compensating," Markus remarked.

"I'm going to enjoy shutting you up, brat."

"Guys," Annabeth said in clear worry. "Don't do this. He's a god."

"He's a coward," Percy told her sternly, handing the backpack to Grover.

"And he's going down," Markus added tersely.

The blonde swallowed. "Wear this, at least. For luck."

She took off her necklace, with her five years' worth of camp beads and the ring from her father, and tied it around Percy's neck.

"Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together."

Percy's face felt a little warm, but he still smiled. "Thanks."

"Feeling the love, Annie," Markus muttered sarcastically, making Annabeth flush in embarrassment.

"Oh, shut up," she retorted. Then she smiled, giving him a small hug. "Good luck."

Markus returned it slightly, before she retracted it and backed away.

"And take this," Grover said. He handed Markus a flattened tin can that he'd probably been saving in his pocket for a thousand miles. He gave Percy his reed pipes. "The satyrs stand behind you."

Both boys smiled. "Thanks, Grover," Markus replied. Percy nodded in thanks also.

"You all done saying good-bye?" Ares came towards the raven-haired demigods, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting in the sunrise.

"I've been fighting for eternity, kids. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

"More IQ points." Markus nodded wittedly.

"Smaller ego." Percy added helpfully.

He kept his feet in the surf, Markus slowly drifting away from him, giving the god two separate targets. The son of the sea thought back what Annabeth had said at the Denver diner, so long ago: Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.

As if an imaginary bell was rung, the fight started. Ares dashed towards Percy as Markus formed several water spikes and sent them hurtling towards the god. They zoomed pass him as he moved quickly, cleaving down at Percy to cut him in half.

Percy moved out of the way as the water catapulted him over the god. He then made a stab on his way down, but the god twisted his sword and blocked with the hilt for the attack meant for his spine.

He grinned as Percy landed on the ground. "Not bad, not bad."

He slashed at Percy once more, forcing son of the sea to jump to dry land. Markus leaped forward, slashing at Ares to give Percy room. The god deflected the strike, then parried the follow-up. "Guess you have some moves, brat," Ares responded, grinning.

Ares grunted and another sword appeared in his free hand, this one looking like a large, claymore-style sword. Striking fast, he cleaved towards Markus's head. The boy rolled, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Markus cursed. Looking towards Percy, both boys nodded to each other. Charging together, they attacked the dual-wielding god, fighting in tandem with each other. Both boys concentrated on attacking and not getting sliced into pieces.

Both boys tried to find an opening, but found none sadly. Ares's sword had far more reach. They needed to get in close.

Markus disengaged from the struggle against the god, trying to play to his strengths. He roared, mentally summoning a small wave, trying to buffet the god of war. Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well. Ares disarmed Percy and knocked him away, sending him flying about thirty feet into the air and right into a sand dune. Focusing on the wave, the god waved his hand in the air, firing a large fireball of deep red towards the wave.

The two elemental attacks collided, cancelling each other out. Steam produced from the contact, obscuring the fighters' vision. Markus was already moving, knowing that the lack of vision wouldn't affect the god of war. But it didn't do any good. Ares appeared through the mist, striking at Markus's head and succeeding in attacking him. But the god's sword gave way, and 'Markus' disappeared into mist.

The boy reappeared, trying to take him by surprise. But Ares blocked his attack without even looking. "I admit, that was pretty clever, brat," Ares said, now turning towards the boy. "But using the Mist on me is useless."

Now Markus was on the defensive, their blades meeting. He was struggling to handle the sword combat Ares followed with two swords. He ducked under a swing, then weaved his way around the other one. He lunged forward to stab his thigh, but Ares dodged and kicked the boy in the ribs, breaking some and getting him to roll across the sand.

Markus had just a second the dodge the stab aimed for his head. He quickly got up, going for another slash, but Ares disarmed him and struck, leaving a slash on his chest, cutting through his shirt.

Disorientated, Markus stumbled, trying to move, but Ares reached out, leaving one sword out of his grasp, and grabbing the boy by the neck, lifting him up.

Markus gasped, trying to breath, but the god cut his air supply short as he squeezed. Thinking quickly, Markus reached into his pocket, retrieving his Chimera horn that he left there. Knowing that attacking wouldn't help, he also quickly reached into his jacket pocket, getting a bottle of water. Slashing it, he used the water to strike Ares's face. The god was about to attack, but was too slow, too eager to kill the boy in his grasp.

Distracted by the attack, the god was left disorientated and open to the kick Markus gave him, breaking his sunglasses. "Argh! You damn brat!"

Unfortunately, he didn't break his hold. He slammed the boy onto the ground, almost breaking his spine. Thank the gods it was sand and not solid ground.

Trying to struggle out of his hold was pointless. Futilely, he tried kicking his leg to break his grip, but no such luck. Thinking quickly, he suddenly came across the thought of his manga that he stored in his bag. Not knowing why, but wanting any solution needed, he recalled the part of the One Piece manga he read. And grinned.

Not knowing how to go about this, but desperate anyway, Markus concentrated on the ground beneath him. He mentally sent his energy - the tug in his gut that he always got when summoning water - towards the ground beneath him. He felt a buzzing feeling on his back. Redirecting that buzzing feeling to his right arm, Markus struck, attacking the god's left arm. **(A.N. - If it sounds confusing, I'm sorry. I kind of made it up as I went. Made much more sense in my head).**

There was a crack, and Ares roared, releasing Markus from his hold. He cradled his left arm, which showed a giant bruise, along with the arm being slightly bent.

The boy coughed and hacked. "Damn, I wasn't sure that was going to work." He grinned at the successful ability he achieved. Earthquake control. He used the power of earthquakes that came with his heritage, and compressed it into his arm. He wasn't even sure that was going to work. He got the attack from Whitebeard from One Piece.

Ares looked livid and held his arm, snapping it back in place.

Markus grinned, coughing out the question. "Oh, sorry. Did that hurt?"  
"You little shi-!" The god turned, hearing the sound of a swinging sword, and blocked Percy's sneak attack.

Markus cursed, running back inside the surf and healing his injuries.

"Guys!" Annabeth yelled. "Cops!"

As the boys regrouped in the shore, they saw red lights flashing on the shoreline boulevard. Car doors were slamming.

"There, officer!" somebody yelled. "See?"

A gruff cop voice: "Looks like those kids on TV ... what the heck ..."

"That guy's armed," another cop said. "Call for backup."

A second cop car pulling up, siren wailing. Spectators, people who had been wandering the streets because of the earthquake, were starting to gather. Among the crowd, seemed to be disguised satyrs, others shimmering spirits, as if the dead rose to see the battle. There was flapping of leathery wings circling above.

Seconds later, more sirens.

A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns. Set them on the ground. Now!"

Guns?

Percy looked at Ares's weapon, and it seemed to be flickering; sometimes it looked like a shotgun, sometimes a two-handed sword. Who knew what the mortals were seeing, but Percy bet it didn't make himself seem friendly.

Ares turned to glare at their spectators, which gave the kids a moment to breathe. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on them.

"This is a private matter!" Ares bellowed. "Be gone."

He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. It collided with the cars, blowing them up as the officers jumped out of the way. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

The god turned back to the demigods, both of whom still exhausted. "Now, little demigods. Let's add you to the barbecue."

Then he attacked, forcing both boys to defend. Their only advantage was that Ares seemed to forget about his other sword. Markus tried channelling his earthquake powers again, but found that he couldn't this time. It took too much concentration, something that he didn't have.

Ares continued to defend and attack at the same time. It was like he could read their movements before they could even act. So what they needed right now was something unpredictable.

The thing was, the god seemed to force both boys away from the surf, knowing that it would give them strength. Both boys were out of options, and were struggling to keep up with the god.

Forgoing his water powers at the moment, Markus focused on his Mist powers instead. "Percy, keep him busy! Go near the shore! I'll give you cover!"

Disengaging from the battle, Markus left Percy to fend for himself. Ares laughed when he noticed this. "So, running away like a coward?" he mocked. "That won't do you any good!"

He made to go after him, but Percy somehow found the strength to keep him at bay, despite his struggle.

Markus backed away a couple of steps. Focusing on drawing the Mist, instead of making clones of himself, he did something different. He shaped it to form several weapons - weapons from different eras. Axes, swords, spears, and a whole lot more.

Markus struggled, having never gone this far with using the Mist. He could feel his reserves dipping even more, exhausting him. But he pushed through. He wasn't going to leave his brother hanging.

Soon, over twenty weapons formed, forged out of Mist and floating in the air behind him **(A.N. - Think Gilgamesh's ability from Fate/Stay Night, only instead of gates, the weapons appear from Mist).**

He roared, bringing his hand towards the direction of Ares. Following his command, the weapons darted over to him, propelling themselves faster than Markus could blink.

Ares saw this, and tried to dodge. But Percy waved his hand, summoning a wave and buffeting him. Percy seemed to draw strength from the surf, making it possible to attack him.

Disorientated from the wave, the god was left vulnerable to the hail of weapons that pierced him. He roared in pain, blasting the sand and waves around him. But both boys weren't done yet.

Percy didn't respond, the sea did that for him as a wave was pushed back. Percy didn't know what he was doing, just going on his instincts. The wave twisted and shot forward, right into Percy's back, propelling him forward in a speedy rush.

Ares, in this lapse of pain, was left wide open.

He pushed forward, disarming Ares and striking downwards, stabbing the god in the ankle.

Markus quickly followed after him. Using the remaining of his reserves, he called upon his earthquake abilities. His sword arm vibrating with power, Markus leaped up and hacked, slicing the god upon the chest and breaking his sternum, the combined force of his momentum and his earthquake powers giving him the strength.

The roar that followed made Hades' earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares again, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide.

Ichor, the blood of the gods, flowed heavily from a wound on the war god's chest and heel. The fury from before faded for but a moment, before it came back, doubled. Sheer shock and disbelief was on his face, as if he couldn't believe that he had been bested.

He hobbled toward the demigods, holding his bleeding chest with one hand, muttering ancient Greek curses.

Something stopped him.

It was as if a cloud covered the sun, but worse. Light faded. Sound and colour drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the beach, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing, and making Markus and Percy feel like life was hopeless, fighting was useless.

The darkness lifted.

Ares looked stunned.

Police cars were burning behind them. The crowd of spectators had fled. Annabeth and Grover stood on the beach, in shock, watching the water flood back around Ares' feet, his glowing golden ichor dripping and dissipating in the tide.

Ares lowered his sword.

"You have made an enemy, godlings," he told both boys. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blades in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson, Markus Henderson. Beware."

His body began to glow.

"Guys!" Annabeth shouted. "Don't watch!"

They turned away as the god Ares revealed his true immortal form. Markus somehow knew that if either had looked, they'd disintegrate into ashes.

The light died.

Looking back, Ares was gone. The tide rolled out to reveal Hades's bronze helm of darkness. Percy picked it up as their friends came running to them.

But before they could, they all heard the flapping of leathery wings. Three evil-looking grandmothers with lace hats and fiery whips drifted down from the sky and landed in front of the two combatants.

The middle Fury, the one who had been Mrs. Dodds, stepped forward. Her fangs were bared, but for once she didn't look threatening. She looked more disappointed, as if she'd been planning to have them for supper, but had decided the children might give her indigestion.

"We saw the whole thing," she hissed. "So ... it truly was not you two?"

Percy tossed her the helmet, which she caught in surprise.

"Return that to Lord Hades," Percy said, his voice annoyed. "Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war."

She hesitated, then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. "Live well, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson. Become a true heroes. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again ..."

She cackled, as if the idea appealed to her. Then she, along with the other Furies, flew upwards, disappearing from view.

The both of them joined Grover and Annabeth, who were staring at them in amazement.

"Percy… Markus..." Grover said. "That was so incredibly ..."

"Terrifying," said Annabeth.

"Cool!" Grover corrected.

Both boys didn't feel cool, or even terrified, they were more tired than anything if they were honest. Markus moreso.

He collapsed, breathing in sharply. He wasn't wounded, but more exhausted. Wasting his reserves did that to him.

Immediately, the others were at his side, checking up on him, but he waved them away. "I'm fine," he responded to the group. "Just tired."

Percy nodded, joining him on the ground, spent also. "Yeah, me too."

A pause filled the air and Percy broke it by asking, "Did you guys feel that... whatever it was?"

They all nodded uneasily.

"Must've been the Furies overhead," Grover said.

But that wasn't it. Something had stopped Ares from killing the children of the big three, and whatever could do that was a lot stronger than the Furies.

Immediately, Markus knew who it was. But he didn't voice his opinion. The group were weary already. He didn't want to add more tension to them by saying it was his evil grandfather.

Percy reclaimed his backpack from Grover and looked inside. The master bolt was still there. Such a small thing to almost cause World War III.

"We have to get back to New York," Percy said. "By tonight."

"That's impossnabeth said, "unless we -"

"Fly," Percy agreed.

"Uhh, let's not," Markus decided tiredly. "I'd rather not get zapped by Mr. Zap-Happy himself."

The sky rumbled but Markus ignored it.

Annabeth stared at Percy. "Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?"

"Yeah," Percy said with a nod. "Pretty much exactly like that. Come on."

 **Hello to you all, readers! I'm back! Sorry it took so long. Exams were a bitch and a half to deal with. But I finished them! Yesss! As a celebration, you can go read, review, follow or favourite the story. Please? It would help a lot.**

 **So, the fight with Ares. I know how much you guys wanted a tag team. So here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to make the fight more spectacular, with hurricanes and storms and magic, but I decided it would be a bit OP, so I kept it at a minimum.**

 **Hope you liked my little additions. For the earthquake ability, I based it off of Whitebeard from One Piece. It's not a blatant copy, and I did like the idea, so I gave it a shot. Hope you liked it, as well as the usage of Mist.**

 **Nearly finished the first book. Woohoo! The second book will take a while to update, but it'll be done. Also, I still would like suggestions for the magic usage in the story. Any suggestions made, I will read and ponder on.**

 **Thank you! Read and Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

The Mist really did screw up a normal human's perception of all the 'mythical' things that go on in the world. Seriously, Percy beat himself up about the whole way back to New York. Markus was just thankful for the work Hecate put in with it.

Thank you, boss!

But before that, they had a little fun with the reporters, who told them what they thought had happened.

According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake.

This crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted Percy, Markus, and two other adolescents in New York and brought them across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

Poor little Percy Jackson and Markus Henderson weren't international criminals after all. Percy had caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from their captor (and afterwards, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus). The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch. After all, no kid could've done that. Markus didn't even need to use the Mist. Guess humans only believe what they want to see.

Then that waitress in Denver had seen the terrible man threaten the young abductees outside the diner she worked at. Finally, brave Percy Jackson and Markus Henderson had stolen a gun from their captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle and shotgun on the beach.

Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Both boys and th were safely in police custody.

The reporters fed the questers the whole story. They just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted (which wasn't hard), and played victimized kids for the cameras. The crowd was eating it all up. Markus used his 'superb' acting skills to gain sympathy points with the crowd.

They were especially sympathetic as Markus described the terrorist who attacked them in great deal. Percy couldn't stop laughing at that part.

Percy gave a moving speech about his gross step-dad and said that the man would give free appliances if enough people rallied money for them to get a plane ride back to New York.

Takeoff was a nightmare for Percy and Markus, and turbulence was just as bad. Markus was thinking of threatening Zeus with stowing away his bolt on the next flight on the plane. See how he liked it.

It was smooth sailing from then on until they touched down safely at La Guardia. The local press was waiting for them outside security, but they managed to evade them thanks to Annabeth, who lured them away in her invisible Yankees cap, shouting, "They're over by the frozen yogurt! Come on!" Then she rejoined them at baggage claim.

They split up at the taxi stand. Percy told Annabeth and Grover to get back to Half-Blood Hill and let Chiron know what had happened as Markus called for a cab. They protested, and it was hard to let them go after all they'd been through, but this last part was for them, getting their uncle to stop waging war over his nightlight. Markus' words, not Percy's.

So they hopped into the taxi and headed into Manhattan.

Thirty minutes later, they walked into the lobby of the Empire State Building.

They must have looked like homeless kids, with their tattered clothes and their cuts and bruises. Plus, they hadn't slept in at least twenty-four hours.

Both boys saw the security desk, and went up to speak to the man.

"Markus Henderson and Percy Jackson, sons of Poseidon," Markus said. "We're here to see Zeus about his lost 'item'."

"Six hundredth floor, please," Percy added.

The guy was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front. Markus chuckled at that.

The book must've been good, because the guard took a while to look up. "No such floor, kiddies."

Markus sighed, not eager to deal with this.

Reaching out, he grabbed the top of the book and pressed it down on the desk. The guard was about to protest, but Markus silenced him with a finger. "I don't think you understand," he started off. "I'm _really_ tired from going up and down, looking for our uncle's glowstick. And I'm really cranky right now. You wouldn't like me when I'm cranky."

"True, you wouldn't," Percy agreed, smirking.

"What my brother said. Now, we are returning the master bolt. Do you really intend to stop us from doing our quest? Think carefully on your answer, because it depends on how I'm going to react. And you better pray that I'm calm. So I expect a good answer."

The security guard looked confused, but, more importantly, also a little frightened. That might be because Markus was looking at him, his sea green eyes looking like those of a madman. That was because it was a cause of exhaustion.

The man couldn't hand Markus a keycard fast enough. "Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you."

Markus nodded. "Thank you, good sir."

The security guard stuttered his next question. "M-may I s-see the bolt?"

Percy slung off the backpack and opened it, showing the master bolt.

"Oh." The guard's voice sounded small. "Well, go right up ahead. Have a good day."

And so they did, as soon as the elevator doors closed, Markus slipped the key into the slot. The card disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600.

Percy reached over and pressed it.

"Damn," Markus said, pouting. "I wanted to press the red button."

Percy looked over to his brother, confused. "Why?"

"Because I just want to. It's one of those things on a person's bucket list."

And so they waited, and waited.

Muzak played. "Raindrops keep falling on my head..."

Finally, ding. The doors slid open. They stepped out and Percy almost had a heart attack while Markus stared in awe.

They was standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air. Below them was Manhattan, from the height of an airplane. In front of them, white marble steps wound up the spine of a cloud, into the sky. Their eyes followed the stairway to its end, it really was here and it was beautiful beyond words.

From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multileveled palaces - a city of mansions - all with white-columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads wound crazily up to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow. Precariously perched gardens bloomed with olive trees and rosebushes. You could make out an open-air market filled with colorful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other. It was an Ancient Greek city, except it wasn't in ruins. It was new, and clean, and colorful, the way Athens must've looked twenty-five hundred years ago or something.

You'd think something like this, a mountain palace anchored to the Empire State Building was impossible. But here it was…and it was absolutely stunning.

It was a daze to the kids, walking through Olympus that is. They passed some giggling wood nymphs who threw olives at them from their garden. Markus managed to catch one, shocking them. He then ate out of it. What? He was hungry.

Hawkers in the market offered to sell them ambrosia-on-a-stick, and a new shield, and a genuine glitter-weave replica of the Golden Fleece, as seen on Hephaestus-TV. The nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park while a small crowd gathered - satyrs and naiads and a bunch of good-looking teenagers who must've been minor gods and goddesses. Nobody seemed worried about an impending civil war.

In fact, everybody seemed in a festive mood. Several of them turned to watch the demigods pass, and whispered to themselves.

They climbed the main road, toward the big palace at the peak. It was a reverse copy of the palace in the Underworld.

There, everything had been black and bronze. Here, everything glittered white and silver.

Markus realized Hades must've built his palace to resemble this one. He wasn't welcomed in Olympus except on the winter solstice, so he'd built his own Olympus underground. It was then that he felt sorry for his uncle. To be casted away from his family? It must be painful, no wonder he seemed so bitter. Though he lost some sympathy points for the stunt he pulled with his mother.

Steps led up to a central courtyard. Past that, the throne room.

Room really isn't the right word. The place made Grand Central Station look like a broom closet. Massive columns rose up to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations.

Twelve thrones, built for beings the size of Hades, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two at the end: the head throne on the right, and the one to its immediate left. They could already tell who they were, and they made no motion or anything, no doubt awaiting the boys to come forward themselves.

The gods were in giant human form, as Hades had been, but they could barely look at them without feeling a tingle, as if their body were starting to burn.

Markus looked at Zeus, the King of the Gods, for the first time. He seemed intimidating and stern, like an Ancient Greek statue. He wore a dark blue pinstriped suit. He sat on a simple throne of solid platinum. He had a well-trimmed beard (which kind of looked a bit stereotypical), marbled gray and black like a storm cloud. His face was proud and handsome and grim, his eyes rainy grey.

As he and Percy got closer to the god, the air crackled and smelled of ozone. It felt enriching, like the air was humming with power. It was a bit frightening, to say the least.

The god sitting next to him was his brother, without a doubt, but he was dressed very differently. He seemed like some regular beachgoer, someone who would just go out and enjoy the scenery the ocean gave. He wore leather sandals, khaki Bermuda shorts, and a Tommy Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it. His skin was deeply tanned, his hands scarred like an old-time fisherman's. His hair was black, a family trait it seemed. His face was set in a brood that made him seem like a rebel. But his eyes, sea green just like Percy's and his own, were surrounded by sun-crinkles like he smiled a lot, too.

As Markus looked at his father, a storm of emotions whirled inside of him: uncertainty, anger (which was prominent), sadness, and, surprisingly, happiness too. Before, Markus was ready to punch Poseidon in the gut for all that happened. But now he felt a little unsure.

His throne was a deep-sea fisherman's chair. It was the simple swiveling kind, with a black leather seat and a built-in holster for a fishing pole. Instead of a pole, the holster held a bronze trident, flickering with green light around the tips.

The gods weren't moving or speaking, but there was tension in the air, as if they'd just finished an argument.

Markus took a breath as he and Percy approached their father. Markus wasn't very eager to kneel, but this wasn't the time for personal preferences. They knelt at Poseidon's throne. "Father," both boys said at the same time.

Percy didn't look up as his heart was racing. Markus was pretty much the same.

To their left, Zeus spoke. "Should you not address the master of this house first, children?"

Both boys kept their head down, and waited.

"Peace, brother," Poseidon finally said, "The boys defers to their father. This is only right."

Zeus sniffed, eyeing Percy and Markus, judging them. "You claim these boys, whom you sired against our sacred oath?"

Hypocrite, is what Markus wanted to shout out, but didn't as he didn't want to be smote.

"I have admitted my wrongdoings. Now, shall we hear them speak?" he asked.

At the part where he said 'wrongdoings', Markus could see Percy tense. He was furious. Was that all they were to the god? Wrongdoings?

A lump formed in Markus' throat, but he swallowed it quickly. He wasn't going to break down into tears. He already knew this, so he expected it.

"I have spared them once already," Zeus grumbled. "Daring to fly through my domain ... pah! I should have blasted them out of the sky for their impudence."

"And risk destroying your own master bolt? Poseidon countered, getting Zeus to glare at him. "Let us hear them out, brother."

Zeus grumbled some more. "I shall listen," he decided. "Then I shall make up my mind whether or not to cast these boys down from Olympus."

Oh, so no pressure, Markus thought sarcastically. What kind of offer was that.

"Perseus, Markus," Poseidon said. "Look at me."

Both boys did so, but saw the god's face who sired them to be blank, unreadable. Percy got the feeling that Poseidon didn't know what to think of him. Like if he was happy or not to have them as his sons. Markus didn't know what to make of Poseidon's expression. It wasn't joyous or sad or angry. Just blank. Somehow, that made him feel a bit better, meeting Poseidon. He didn't want the god to act like a normal father. That would've been too out of place. Markus didn't need him. Percy had his mum (and stepdad, but, from hearing about him from Percy, Markus didn't include him). So they really didn't need him to act like a normal father. That didn't mean he was off the hook, though.

"Address Lord Zeus, boys," Poseidon instructed. "Tell him your story."

So they told Zeus everything, just as it had happened. Percy took out the metal cylinder, which began sparking in the Sky God's presence, and laid it at his feet.

There was a long silence, broken only by the crackle of the hearth fire.

Zeus opened his palm. The lightning bolt flew into it.

As he closed his fist, the metallic points flared with electricity, until he was holding what looked more like the classic thunderbolt, a twenty-foot javelin of arcing, hissing energy that would make your hair stand on end.

"I sense they tell the truth," Zeus muttered. "But that Ares would do such a thing ... it is most unlike him."

"He is proud and impulsive," Poseidon said. "It runs in the family."

"Hopefully not _too_ deep into the family," Markus commented under his breath.

The gods heard him. Zeus gave him a glare while Poseidon seemed to smile a bit.

"Lord?" Percy asked.

They both said, "Yes?"

Markus chuckled a bit at that. Thankfully, the gods didn't pay too much attention to that.

Percy turned his gaze to the gods, "Ares didn't act alone. Someone else - something else - came up with the idea."

They described their dreams, and the feeling they had on the beach, that momentary breath of evil that had seemed to stop the world, and made Ares back off from killing them.

"In the dreams," Percy said, "the voice told us to bring the bolt to the Underworld. Ares hinted that he'd been having dreams, too. I think he was being used, just as I was, to start a war."

"You are accusing Hades, after all?" Zeus asked.

"No," Markus said. "This didn't feel anything like Hades presence, Lord Zeus. This feeling on the beach was different. It was the same thing we felt when we got close to that pit. Something powerful and evil is stirring down there, something ancient," he said, "It was Kron-"

"Do _not_ speak that name in these halls, boy," Zeus interrupted, his voice sterner than before.

Markus stopped, his eyes wide in disbelief. Was Zeus going to ignore his claim so easily that he won't even say who was behind it? It was clearly obvious.

Poseidon and Zeus turned to one another. They had a quick, intense discussion in Ancient Greek. But the preteens caught one word they were certain of.

 _Father._

Poseidon made some kind of suggestion, but Zeus cut him off, just as he had Markus. Poseidon tried to argue. Zeus held up his hand angrily. "We will speak of this no more," Zeus said. "I must go personally to purify this thunderbolt in the waters of Lemnos, to remove the human taint from its metal."

He rose and looked at the demigods. His expression softened just a fraction of a degree. "You have done me a service, young ones. Few heroes could have accomplished as much." He said.

"We had help, sir," Percy added. "Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase -"

"To show you my thanks, I shall spare your life."

Oh, we're _so_ thankful, Markus thought sarcastically.

The king told Percy and Markus, "I do not trust you, Perseus Jackson, Markus Henderson. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus. But for the sake of peace in the family, I shall let you live."

"Um ... thank you, sir." Percy blinked, unsure what to even say other than that.

"Uh, yes. Thank you very much," Markus replied, just as befuddled as his brother.

"Do not presume to fly again. Do not let me find you here when I return. Otherwise you shall taste this bolt. And it shall be your last sensation." He told his nephews.

Thunder shook the palace. With a blinding flash of lightning, Zeus was gone.

It was just the demigods alone in the throne room with Poseidon. "Your uncle," Poseidon sighed, "has always had a flair for dramatic exits. I think he would've done well as the god of theater."

"Well thank the gods we didn't inherit that from you," Markus remarked, the nervous energy from before coming back to him.

The sea god gave a light chuckle at that, as an uncomfortable silence followed.

"Sir," Percy said, "what was in that pit?"

Poseidon regarded him. "Have you not guessed?"

"Like Markus said before; Kronos," Percy stated. "The king of the Titans."

Even in the throne room of Olympus, far away from Tartarus, the name Kronos darkened the room, made the hearth fire seem not quite so warm.

Poseidon gripped his trident.

"In the First War, children, Zeus cut our father Kronos into a thousand pieces, just as Kronos had done to his own father, Ouranos. Zeus cast Kronos' remains into the darkest pit of Tartarus. The Titan army was scattered, their mountain fortress on Etna destroyed, their monstrous allies driven to the farthest corners of the earth. And yet Titans cannot die, any more than we gods can. Whatever is left of Kronos is still alive in some hideous way, still conscious in his eternal pain, still hungering for power."

"He's healing," Markus declared, eyes narrowed in thought. "He's trying to come back. To rule once more."

Poseidon shook his head. "From time to time, over the aeons, Kronos has stirred. He enters men's nightmares and breathes evil thoughts. He wakens restless monsters from the depths. But to suggest he could rise from the pit is another thing."

Percy quickly said, "That's what he intends, Father. That's what he said."

Poseidon was silent for a long time.

"Lord Zeus has closed discussion on this matter. He will not allow talk of Kronos. You have completed your quest, children. That is all you need to do."

Markus's eyes narrowed. No, that wasn't all they needed to do. Kronos was rising and Zeus intended to ignore it? And Poseidon wasn't going to even bring the topic up? Markus knew that with Kronos rising, things were going to turn bad for the future. It was more of a feeling than a prediction. They needed to train, to get stronger, if they wanted any chance of survival. From reading Greek mythology, Markus knew that Kronos was no joke and if they weren't prepared, it was a guarantee for failure.

"But -" Percy stopped himself, seeing that arguing would do no good. It got Markus nowhere after all. "As ... as you wish, Father."

A faint smile played on the god's lips. "Obedience does not come naturally to either of you, does it?"

"No, sir," Markus said, his voice blank of emotion.

"I must take some blame for that, I suppose. The sea does not like to be restrained." He rose to his full height and took up his trident. Then he shimmered and became the size of a regular man, standing directly in front of them.

Markus still had all these emotions churning inside of him. The most problematic was, unsurprisingly, anger. So Poseidon could just act like everything was normal again? No, Markus wasn't going to let that slide. Maybe Percy was somewhat satsifiied with meeting him, but Markus wasn't. He still didn't forgive Poseidon for what he did.

Stepping up towards the god, Markus channelled what he could of his energy into his arm, vibrating slightly from the earthquake power flowing through it. Striking forward, and surprising both Percy and Poseidon, Markus punched Poseidon in the nose, a loud crack echoing through the throne room.

Percy looked shocked and horrified. Shocked because he didn't expect Markus to do that, even if he did act random at times. And horrified at what he'd done. While he wasn't happy with Poseidon either, that didn't mean he was going to do what Markus had done, and possibly (almost certainly) get smited.

Markus knew that what he did probably would've gotten him killed instantly, but at the moment, logic wasn't speaking at the moment. Anger was. And he tended to do some pretty irrational things when angered. Right now, though, he didn't care. He wanted to make Poseidon pay at the moment.

The god's head snapped back, and then, slowly, looked down at his son, looking shocked rather than hurt. Ichor flowed freely from his nose, staining his Bahama shirt. The blood of the gods dropped onto the floor of Olympus, staining it also.

"S-son... w-what...?" Poseidon made out, but Markus interrupted him.

" _That_ was for my mother... the woman you let die years ago," Markus growled. That was the real reason he was so pissed off at his father. Not with him living on the streets or being homeless. Not even for possibly ignoring him for all these years. No, he was pissed because of his mother's deathl. In his eyes, that was Poseidon's biggest mess.

"Markus, you must understand that I couldn't-" Poseidon started, reaching up to block the ichor dripping from his nose, but Markus interrupted him again.

"No! Don't give me that bullshit about the Ancient Laws!" he roared. Tears, ones that he had shed long ago, came from his eyes, which were now glowing in anger. He hadn't intended to cry, but all the bottled emotions started surfacing up from the past. And, like a dam, they bursted out. "If it was so much of a bother, then you shouldn't have had us! If you think me and Percy are such 'wrongdoings' on your part, then you should've kept it in your pants! My mother still loved you! Even after you left us, even after I asked her when you would come back, or why you weren't around, she still kept smiling and said to have faith that you'd come! Even when she knew the real truth! When she was attacked by those monsters that were after me, I could imagine her still praying to you, still hoping that you'd come and save us! I was the same too! I cried, I pleaded, I begged, but you didn't come. I bet you just watched us as we suffered!"

"Don't you dare accuse me of that, boy!" Poseidon retorted back, looking just as furious as Markus was. "You had no idea he heartbreak I suffered when Melissa died! The pain I had when I watched her die! Don't you dare question the love I had for her!"

"I can imagine the pain because I was there," Markus said lowly. "All the pain you described, all that suffering, I felt it, because _I was there._ You weren't there, so I obviously question whether you actually experienced that pain or not. You have no one to blame but yourself. All that _pain_ and _suffering_ you had, that was because the whole thing was _all your fault."_

Percy quickly reached forward and held his brother's shoulder, but Markus shrugged it off. Poseidon looked stony, the same angry expression that was on his face was similar to Markus'. He didn't know whether the god was angry at him for his blatant disrespect, or if he was angry at himself. The air was heating up, alive with crackling energy. His trident responded to its master's emotions, the tips crackling and glowing with power.

After it seemed like he was going to explode, he calmed down, his face having a melancholic expression. Both Percy and Markus watched as Poseidon slumped down, looking riddled with guilt.

"You have no idea of the pain I felt when your mother died," Poseidon said, his voice sounding broken. It was here that both boys saw a god show emotions that seemed so human. It was shocking to say the least. "What was even worse was, like you said, Markus, I wasn't there to help. I wasn't there to help your mother as she sacrificed herself for you. I wasn't there to help you as you lived on your own for seven years. But I was always watching over you. Even when Hecate shrouded you in Mist, I still watched over you. You and Perseus mean so much to me. Your mothers were both queens among mortal women. When I watched Melissa die, and Sally be mistreated by that piece of _filth,_ I was heartbroken. That agony is still with me, even to this very moment. I wouldn't blame Melissa if she hated me in her final moments, or if Sally hated me for leaving her alone. The thing about your mother, Markus, was that she always seemed to be cheerful, even in the worst of situations. She also didn't care if I was a god. She would still try and set me straight if I ever messed up around her." Here, Poseidon let out a hollow chuckle, making both boys flinch.

"Even when I left, she still loved me. I could always tell, from seeing her expression from time to time. I loved her, like I loved Sally. And because of that, I love both of you boys. Even if you end up hating me for the rest of your lives. I will still always love you. I hate the Ancient Laws as much as you do, boys. But you have to understand, I have to follow them. I'm a god."

"Yeah, but we're also your sons," Percy retorted, his voice cracking slightly. It seemed as if he was just as affected by the emotional outbreak as Markus was. Even if he didn't like to admit it.

Reaching out, Poseidon caught both boys in a hug. They were unresponsive at first, but eventually joined in on the hug, crying a little. Even Poseidon had a few tears leaking out of his eyes, mixing in with the light traces of ichor on his face.

Markus, taking notice of this, spoke up. "I'm sorry about your nose, Father." His voice was muffled as his head was against the sea god's chest.

Chuckling slightly, Poseidon waved it off. "It's alright. I deserve worse, to be fair."

The hug lasted for a couple of moments, creating a heartwarming scene. Sadly, it was broken when Percy asked a question. "Um, Father. What about my mother?"

"Ah, yes." Here, Poseidon broke the hug, making both Percy and Markus miss it slightly. The god waved his hand, making the ichor stains and tears disappear. "Your mother has been returned, Perseus. You will find her at home. Hades sent her when you recovered his helmet. Even the Lord of Death pays his debts."

Percy's heart was pounding. He couldn't believe it. He wanted to ask Poseidon if he wanted to see her, but after his speech, he knew that it wasn't needed. Poseidon already loved Sally. He would've seen her if he wanted to.

Poseidon's eyes gained a look of sadness, like they were a few moments ago. "When you return home, Percy, you must make an important choice. You will find a package waiting in your room."

"A package?"

"You will understand when you see it. No one can choose your path, Percy. You must decide."

Percy nodded, looking a little confused.

"And Markus." Here Poseidon turned towards him. "I have secured for you some, ah, living arrangements. Don't worry, everything is taken care of." Here Poseidon winked, though he looked a little sad as he said this.

"Father..." Markus said, then stopped. It seemed weird to call the sea god 'Father', after the emotional conversation (which was more like a shouting match at first) they had. Not that Markus was angry with him anymore. Now that he calmed down, he could see that maybe, just maybe, he acted a little irrationally. He could see that now after he punched him in the face. He looked towards Poseidon, matching his gaze. "Thank you."

The god nodded, looking relatively pleased, as if his thanks was some kind of gift.

After that, another awkward silence came about. It was broken, again, when Percy bowed. "Um, thank you, Father."

Here, Markus followed his example, doing the same. "Yes. Thank you, Father."

Both of the boys turned away towards the throne room doors. They were five steps away when Poseidon called out, "Perseus, Markus."

They turned.

There was a new light in the sea god's eyes, a sort of fiery pride. It was a stark from the sad, broken emotions he showed before. "You did well, boys. Never think otherwise. Whatever else you do, know that both of you are mine. You are true sons of the Sea God."

Here, both boys smiled at that, nodding to their father. As they both walked back through the city of the gods, conversations stopped. the muses paused their concert. People and satyrs and naiads all turned to the two boys. Their faces were filled with respect and gratitude and, as they passed, they knelt, as if they were some kind of heroes.

And with that, both boys' hearts felt slightly lighter, with less emotional baggage weighing on them now.

 **'Sup, everyone. Kronium345 here with another chapter. And this one has an increase in drama. I hope I did a good job on that.**

 **Now, if this seems out of place for Poseidon, let me point out some stuff: in the books, Riordan made the gods to be a little human, which was good. Poseidon was pretty much one of the gods who showed his affection for Percy, which was obvious. Here, he was a bit more emotional, but since he loved Sally and the OC's mother, he seems more heartbroken and, therefore, more emotional. Hope you liked my explanation, and the chapter. Let me know what you think.**

 **So, nearly there till the end of the book. After that I'll be moving away from canon writing for a bit, going into little side quests for Markus and such. There'll be more dark stuff and crossovers along with that, don't worry.**

 **Read and Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

The two boys made it back to Manhattan. Percy said they were going to take a detour before heading back to Camp Half-Blood. Markus guessed that he was going to see his mum. Markus also wanted to see the new living arrangement Poseidon had set up for him.

After hearing Percy constantly worry about his mother, Markus felt a little jealous. He could still remember seeing his mother's ghost in the Underworld. He never wanted to see her in that state again. Percy was lucky he still had his mother. But Markus didn't hold it against him.

When they got to the apartment and knocked on the door, Percy's breathing had hitched when none other than Sally Jackson answered it. Her eyes went wide when she saw Percy.

"Mum!" Percy all but shouted as he lunges towards his mom and wrapped her in a hug as Sally did the same. She whispered soothing words into her son's ears as Percy got a little teary at finally getting his mum back. It just showed how much Percy had truly missed his mum.

Markus stood a little ways off letting them have their moment and had a smile on his face as he watched the mother-son reunion. He felt a little sad that he didn't have this but he wasn't too bothered by it. He was a big boy, so he could survive. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt a little.

Once both of them were done with their reunion, Sally turned to Markus curiously, wiping some tears from her face. "Hello. I don't believe we've met before. I'm Sally Jackson, Percy's mother. I assume you're Percy's friend?"

"Brother, actually," Markus corrected. "Half-brother to be exact. I'm Markus Henderson, son of Poseidon, like Percy. It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Just Sally is fine," Sally said, a smile on her face. "And any friend - or relative - that's close to us is perfectly fine to me."

Markus could see why Percy talked about his mother a lot. Sally Jackson was an amazing person, both from hearing about her and meeting her.

So Percy and Markus talked to Sally about all that happened, almost giving her a heart attack. They told her all the ups and downs on their quest, and Sally listened to it all. Both boys were about to get to the part about Ares when a man's voice interrupted the conversation.

"Hey, Sally! That meat loaf done yet or what?"

It came from inside the apartment. Markus scowled. So that was 'Smelly Gabe'. Markus had a feeling that he would instantly hate him, even more so than Mr. D.

Sally also didn't like him either, because she scowled also. She turned to address Percy. "Gabe's being a bit difficult. What, with all of the phone calls we've been receiving. What are these 'appliances' and 'charges' that are being talked about?"

"Uh..." was Percy's reply, as he looked to Markus for help. He just shrugged, indicating that Percy was on his own. Percy then turned to his mother. "See,m the thing is..."

Sally just shook her head. She walked to Percy, resting her hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye. "Just don't try and make him angry."

"Would you like some help, ma'a - I mean, Sally?" Markus offered. He still wasn't used to calling her Sally yet.

Sally shook her head. "No, that's okay, Markus. You don't have to get involved in this."

"I insist," Markus stated firmly. Sally made to interject, but Percy clasped his hand on her shoulder, making her look towards him. He shook his head, telling her that it was pointless to argue. Sally sighed, and turned to Markus. "Well... you can try."

"That's all that I need to do," Markus said. With that, the trio walked into the apartment.

When they went into the living room, Markus could see that the floor was covered entirely of filth and junk. Sitting on the couch and seemingly the cause of all it was Gabe. Damn, Percy really wasn't exaggerating when he talked about him. He was wearing a filthy tracksuit that barely seemed to cover his fat frame. He had three hairs combed over his scalp, making Markus shudder slightly. Percy was spot-on to compare him to a tuskless walrus, because he looked exactly like that. Markus wasn't like one of the Aphrodite kids at camp, who would judge you on your appearance. But he had to admit, Gabe probably had a shitty personality that reflected his appearance.

Markus could also see that he was playing poker with a few other men as well.

Gabe finally looked up from his game and looked at the trio. Upon seeing Percy, his face morphed into one of anger. No doubt it was about to get ugly.

"You got a lot of nerve coming here, you little punk. I thought the police-"

"Gabe just let this go please. He's already come home. What's done is done and let's just put it in the past." Sally said. This got raised eyebrows from Gabe.

"Put it in the past? Do you expect me to forget all the trouble this brat has caused me over the last few weeks. And now he's brought another wandering stray with him. Probably abandoned by his mommy and became too broke to live properly."

"Gabe!" Sally exclaimed loudly, but he wasn't having any of it. He raised his hand, making Sally flinch. Both boys saw this, and immediately put the pieces together. Gabe had hit Sally before. This revelation made both boys equally furious, Percy because it was his mum, and Markus because of what Gabe said about his mother, and the fact that Sally didn't deserve the shit coming from this scum. Making up his mind, Markus stepped forward, fist clenched.

Seeing this, Gabe just continued to mock the boy. "Aw, what's wrong, boy? Gonna cry now? Touch me, and you'll join brain boy in prison. You understand me, ya little shit? Your parents aren't gonna save you. Then again, they probably le-"

Gabe didn't get to finish his taunting as a fist sailed towards his nose, breaking it with a loud _crack_. Roaring, he grabbed his nose, trying to stem the now pouring blood that came from his nose, but to no avail. He looked up, eyes mad with fury, but flinched at the identical look in Markus' eyes, only his were glowing.

"You done fucked up, you disgusting piece of shit," Markus growled out. He looked ready to breath fire like a dragon. "I just met you, and you already sicken me. I can only imagine how Percy and Sally can deal with your filthy ass. I pity them."

Gabe's poker buddies made to stand up, but Markus waved his hand, a white substance dancing on his fingertips. Immediately, the men had dazed looks on their faces, their eyes blank. They sat down, their movement stiff like zombies.

Percy didn't comment on Markus' skill with the Mist. He didn't have to, it was already shown. But he kind of feared what was going to happen to Gabe, even if he was eager to see it out. He knew how Markus got when he was angry. You wouldn't like him when he was angry. The statement rang true even if it was a little funny.

"You brat! I'm gonna make you pay for this! You hear me?! I'll make sure you never see the light of day when you're in a prison cell! You, brain boy, and that bit-"

He was interrupted again when Markus punched him in the jaw, adding his earthquake powers into his arm. The result was that Gsbe's jaw snapped to the other side almost comically, a _crack_ echoing across the room, even louder than when Gabe's nose was broken. This time he screamed in agony as a couple of his teeth were spat out, bloody and broken. He probably had a couple more lodged down his throat. His cries turned to whimpers as he held his jaw tenderly, blood leaking out of his mouth and pouring on his hands and tracksuit, joining the previous stains from his broken nose. But Markus didn't care.

Peering down on the broken man, Markus snarled, anger clouding his features. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did that hurt? Did I cause you pain? Well, just imagine how it was for Percy and Sally to deal with the shit that you gave them! Now I'm going to do even worse to you." At the last part, his snarl turned guttural, like that of an enraged animal.

Raising up his left hand, with the Mist swirling around his fingertips, he pressed it against Gabe's head. After a few moments, nothing happened. And then Gabe started shrieking. The sound startled both Percy and Sally, surprising them and making them wonder what Markus was doing to him.

Markus' fingertips glowed brighter with the Mist as he kept pressing against Gabe's forehead. Soon, he started convulsing, as if he was having a seizure. Blood started pouring down from his eyes, presenting s gruesome sight for the trio. But Markus didn't stop.

Foam and spittle started appearing out of Gabe's broken mouth, while his form started convulsing even more. His eyes rolled back into his head, leaving them blank. Markus had enough sense from his rage-induced mind attack to listen to Percy yelling at him to stop. Quickly, his hand moved away from Gabe's forehead, the Mist disappearing from his hand. Soon after, Gabe's form stopped convulsing. He just kept still, as if he was dead. Blood continued leaking from his nose, mouth and eyes.

Markus stepped away from the body, his body shivering. He noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Percy and Sally were looking at him fearfully. This made his heart ache. He didn't want his brother and his mother to look at him like that. It made him seem like... like a monster.

Just now he realised what he had done. Looking at Gabe, he winced. He didn't even know if he was alive. While a small part of him was celebrating his death, a larger part of him also felt guilty. Not for Gabe, but for how he went about it. He could've just roughed him up a little with some punches and knock him unconscious. But no. He had to do... do _that_ to him. Hell, he didn't even know what he'd done. Maybe he'd mind-raped him, or broke him mentally. Or even somehow chocked him to death or something. He didn't know.

Markus was no stranger to death. He'd seen a lot of it on the streets, even if he wished he hadn't. Drug lords, thieves, prostitutes, he'd seen them killed in cold blood. But this was different. This was done by _his_ hand. _Markus_ had done the deed of killing him.

It just occurred to Markus that he felt something sticky and on his hand. Looking down, he saw a smear of blood on his palm. It must've been from Gabe when he was having his 'episode'. Seeing it caused him to breath in sharply. It just occurred to him that was hyperventilating. His eyes dilated sharply, his breathing shortened, and the blood started to scare him a little.

Seeing this, Sally stepped forward, putting her hand on his shoulder. Upon feeling contact, Markus turned and faced Sally, who looked a little shaken up also. There was also a bit of fear in her eyes, which was understandable. He did just turn someone into a vegetable, after all. Nevertheless, she smiled towards Markus, trying for his sake to calm him down. And it was slightly working. "It's alright," Sally said soothingly, though her voice sounded strained. Markus admired her for keeping a straight face. "Markus, it's not your fault. Do you understand? Y-you tried to save us. W-we don't blame you for what happened, alright? Look at me. Look. Even if I am scared, I'm still thankful for what you'e done."

Nodding slowly, Markus replied. "A-alright. T-thank you, Sally." He understood that she was trying to keep calm so he could do the same. The thing that warmed his heart was that he was a complete stranger who had just possibly messily lobotomised someone. Yet she still tried to comfort him. He would have complimented her more if it didn't just occur to him that there was still blood on his hand. And that Percy and Sally might need some time alone with each other.

"I-I'll just leave you two," Markus muttered quietly. "To give you two some time alone."

"Are you sure?" Sally asked, concerned. "If you like, I can-"

But Markus just shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine. Percy is your son. You can attend to him. Really, it's not necessary."

Sally still held her concerned face, but at Markus' prodding, she eventually relented. "Alright. But if there's anything you need help with, just tell me."

Markus nodded, and with that, he left the apartment, patting Percy on the shoulder as he went.

As he exited the door, he sighed silently. He took out a water bottle from his bag that he still had, surprisingly. Using it, he washed away the blood on his hand. When the water made contact with his skin, he felt a surge of strength from it, and he almost felt relieved.

Then the image of what he'd done came to his mind, and he shuddered. He didn't really feel guilty for what he did, but he didn't like how he went about it. Gabe deserved what he got, with no mercy. But what he did was definitely overkill. Markus wondered how he even went about it. He never used the Mist like that before. He guessed that it was because of his rage that he could even do it. He knew that anger was dangerous, and if he wasn't careful, he may do something he'll regret.

Fifteen minutes later, Percy came back, a small smile on his face. Then he looked towards Markus, and his smile fell a little. "Uh, hey Markus-"

"Don't," Markus interjected. He didn't want to discuss what happened there. He didn't want to ruin Percy's mood. "Just forget about it. What's done is done. Just be glad the shit stain won't bother you again."

Percy nodded and with that, the two boys walked to the corner to see Markus' apartment next. As they walked, Percy turned to his brother. "Markus," he said. "Thank you. You saved me and my mum. We can't repay you enough."

Markus nodded, but didn't say anything. But Percy saw the small smile on his face.

 **XXX**

The two boys got dropped off at Park Avenue, near Central Park. They didn't know where Markus' new apartment was, or how the cab driver knew where it was. As soon as they were about to ask taxi driver, he quickly got out of the taxi and was replaced by a new driver. They were about to ask why there was a change in drivers when the new driver looked towards them. They saw that his face shimmered a little, showing a large blue eye in the centre of his forehead.

Immediately the two of them knew that this was a cyclopes sent from Poseidon. This was confirmed when, in a gravely voice, the driver said, "Markus Henderson, 200 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, on orders from Lord Poseidon."

With that, they were dropped of at where they were. The cyclopes got out of the taxi and indicated that they should follow him. Both boys we wary of following a stranger, even if he was sent from their dad. Nevertheless, they followed him anyway, having no choice.

They went inside a large apartment block, astonished at the huge buildings and crowds of people they saw. They clearly weren't used to this kind of environment. And Markus was going to live here?

They passed the reception office, the cyclopes showing a card at the table. Immediately, the man at the desk nodded and typed something in. Five minutes later, the boys and the cyclopes were allowed up in an elevator.

As they went ahead, Percy and Markus looked around, seeing large paintings and people in suits talking on phones. It was a surreal experience to them. Hell, Markus never saw a large crowd of people gathered around unless they were trying to fight for their next meal on the streets.

As they arrived on the 17th floor, they were blown away. A large room, filled with a side kitchen with a fridge and a cooker, as well as living room with two chairs and a small round table. They looked inside and saw a giant TV on the wall, with a remote lying on top of it. **(** **A.N. - If you want a better image, look up '200 Park Avenue 17th Floor', and look at the second image under 'Images').**

Markus almost squealed with joy. He was going to live _here_? Talk about an upgrade. From roaming the streets to living in style? Damn. Poseidon did good work. He was actually thankful for the first time to his dad, which was something new to him.

He probably would've explored the place for the whole day, but Percy tapped his shoulder. "Markus, as much as I'm jealous of your new house, and I know how much you want to explore it, we have to get back to camp. Annabeth and Grover might get worried about us."

Markus pouted, but he understood where Percy was coming from. Plus he could always visit it later. Reluctantly, he joined Percy in leaving the apartment, and heading towards the taxi for camp.

 **XXX**

They were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated them as if they'd won some reality-TV contest. According to camp tradition, they wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in their honour, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where they got to burn the burial shrouds their cabins had made for them in their absence.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful - grey silk with embroidered owls - Percy told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched him and told him to shut up as Markus laughed.

Being the son of Poseidon, Percy didn't have any cabin mates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bed sheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.

It was fun to burn in Percy's opinion.

The Ares cabin wanted to do Markus' own, but the Aphrodite cabin insisted on it, and they backed down eventually. It was hot pink satin with baby blue trimming and it had an embroidered pegasus and trident on it, along with a splash of green around the laurel. Markus was grateful for it, and gave Silena a hug since she came up with the idea. She returned the hug, even if she blushed a bit and received teasing from Cabin Ten.

Markus was almost sad he had to burn it, even if there was pink on it.

As Apollo cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores, Percy and Markus were surrounded by their old Hermes cabin mates, Annabeth's friends from Athena, telling about the quest, and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand-new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders.

The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabin mates, whose poisonous looks told both Percy and Markus they'd never forgive them for disgracing their dad.

Oh well, haters gonna hate.

Even Dionysus' welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen their spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brats didn't get themselves killed and now they'll have even bigger heads. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday..."

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions.

They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. According to Annabeth, who'd seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colours.

As Annabeth, Markus, and Percy were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell them good-bye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say ... well, you know."

"Great goodbye speech, Grov," Markus said, earning him a punch from Annabeth.

Percy was both happy and sad to see him go. Happy he got his license but saddened to see who he considered his oldest friend leaving.

Annabeth gave him a hug. She told him to keep his fake feet on.

Markus patted him on the shoulder, wishing him luck and to try not to jinx himself so he didn't get into trouble.

Percy asked him where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan ..."

"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?" she added.

"Jeez, Annabeth," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat."

But he didn't really sound annoyed.

Markus gave him a manly hug, which he returned. He also gave a hug to Annabeth. Then he gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway - nothing like the little runty boy that Percy would defend from bullies on the playground.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck."

He clapped Percy on the shoulder, then headed back through the dunes.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean Lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

The goat boy turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going, I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

"Obviously. He'd be lost without us," Markus snorted, though there was no malice behind his words.

Percy wanted to believe them, but he was still worried. No searcher had ever come back in like a thousand years or something. But he just had a feeling that Grover would be the first.

Markus was busy training with the Hecate kids in magic. He didn't have a dream from Hecate like last time, but he still wanted to train in his magic. He showed Alabaster the rune book he recovered from the book shop on his quest, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw it.

When he studied it, along with several other Hecate children, it was discovered that the book was several thousand years old, filled with magic they hadn't studied yet. Needless to say, they were ecstatic. They acted like the Athena kids when they discovered something new. Markus couldn't blame them, though. Even he was interested in the book's origin.

Since then, he was taught by several Hecate kids on battle magic. Specifically, defensive magic. Markus complained that he wanted to get straight to offensive magic, like shooting bolts of energy from his palms, or summoning monsters to aid him. But Alabaster told him something: what's the point in learning how to attack if you couldn't defend yourself? In the end, Markus agreed that learning defensive magic was important before offensive magic.

From his lessons, he could summon small blue magic circles to his palms as defence. Alabaster told him that that was one of the most basic defensive magic spells, and that its effectiveness increased with training and experience. Markus was determined to master this magic **(A.N. - Think of the magic circles Dr. Strange has in the Dr. Strange movie, only blue and smaller).**

Along with that, Markus was also learning Grecian runes. From looking at the book, there were tons of runes to learn that were categorised into different languages. So he was learning Greek first, for obvious reasons. The Hecate children never learnt runes before, so the book Markus got was a godsend. In fact, one of the most famous users of runes that was a child of Hecate was Merlin, who was real.

How Grecian runes worked was that he inscribed Greek letters or words on a surface with ink. A runemaster could write out a rune out of his or her magic on anything, even air. Then the rune would take effect, if magic is put into it. It sounded simple in theory, but was actually hard to perform. Writing out Greek was easy. But he had to put the correct amount of magic into the rune for it to take effect. Too much and the rune would overload. Too little and the rune wouldn't work. So magical control was necessary.

Markus was taught to simply start writing out letters from the Greek alphabet from beginning to end with ink. This was so he could learn to write runes quickly and efficiently. It was gruelling work, but he was determined to learn.

He was taught this along a girl named Lou Ellen. She was around the same age he was, with brown hair and emerald green eyes, like Alabaster. Both of them bonded through their training. Markus found out that Lou, like all Hecate children, had a deep interest in magic, and was eager to learn about runes when he brought the rune book to camp.

On top of that, Markus also learned different spells outside of battle. Spells that had him grinning in anticipation. He couldn't wait to try them out at Capture the Flag. Even better, he could prank the Stolls and get even with them on different occasions.

Aside from his magic training, Markus also upped his weapon training. He went to Beckendorf and was able to fashion his fang of Lamia and Chimera horn into knives, with handles forged on them. He wasn't really good with knives, so he went to Annabeth for help, since she was the only knife user he knew. She accepted his plea for help and helped teach him different stances and ideas for knife-wielding.

He also wanted to get some Mist training in, but felt hesitant. After his episode with Gabe, he was always cautious in using the Mist. Not that he feared it, but now he was aware of the capabilities the Mist had. On the plus side, his new attack he dubbed 'Weapon Barrage' was freaking awesome once he successfully performed it. He also remembered that he used it in the archery range and finally got a bullseye on the target. He smugly remembered showing off to the Apollo kids who made fun of his archery skills. They became instantly jealous of his ability, and he had no trouble rubbing it in their faces. They deserved it, the smug bastards.

Markus and Percy joined in several games of Capture the Flag. Percy helped come up with new strategies that were used, while Markus used his jacket's invisibility and new spells to successfully get the flag. Needless to say, Markus became one of the most sought out people for CTF.

Percy also informed Markus on the state of his mum. Apparently, Gabe was still alive (unfortunately) but was sent to a mental asylum as he was reported to be muttering gibberish every time he opened his mouth. As he was sentenced there, he was to remain there for a number of years. Sally even informed Percy that Gabe suffered a little 'accident' during his stay there. The caretakers reported that he was assaulted by other inmates, and was brutally murdered. Despite Sally not being a vindictive or cruel person, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't pleased by Gabe's death. The same could be said for Percy and Markus. Markus was just thankful that Gabe didn't die by his hand, as much as he sometimes regretted that thought.

Percy also told Markus that there was the option of living with each other, an offer Sally had no problem with. But he sadly declined. As much as he was thankful for the offer, he already had a home. Besides, he didn't want to be a bother to the two living with each other, since they were all each other had. Percy was a bit sad, but later relented.

The last night of the summer session came all too quickly.

The campers had one last meal together. They burned part of their dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.

Markus and Percy got their own leather necklaces, and when they saw the bead for their first summer, both sons of Poseidon couldn't help but grin at one another. It was a pitch black bead, with two green tridents crossed crossed over the other.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first Sons of the Sea God at this camp in decades, and the quest they undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares' cabin felt obliged to stand. Athena's cabin steered Annabeth to the front so she could share in the applause too.

Markus wouldn't admit it, but he felt really happy at the moment. After all these years of living on the streets and being alone all the time, it felt like he had a home. Despite his initial feelings of loneliness and not wanting any new family to lose, the camp managed to worm their way into his heart. It felt like one big family, with a baby brother to boot. He kind of felt sad that he was going to leave them in the morning. He cursed the fact that demigods couldn't use phones, otherwise he could keep in contact with them. But he knew he wouldn't forget them.

The next morning, Percy and Markus found a form letter on one of their bedside tables in Cabin Three.

One that had Mr. D written all over it, literally:

 _Dear Perry Johnson and Marcie Holding,_

 _If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit._

 _Have a nice day!_

 _Mr. D (Dionysus)_

 _Camp Director, Olympian Council #12_

"Glad to see that he won't miss us dearly," Markus said sarcastically.

Percy scoffed. "Bet he would have all us shipped on a plane, ready to take off."

"Yeah, he's lovable like that," Markus muttered, chuckling.

Then he remembered that he had to go get something. "Oh, shit! Silena wanted to give me something before she went, and I forgot!" With that he moved, putting on a T-shirt and some shoes that he had lying on the floor.

"Whipped," Percy commented, smirking.

Markus whirled to glare at his brother. "Shut up."

With that, he bolted out of his cabin, sprinting towards Cabin Ten, getting nymphs and campers to look at him funnily. As he reached the eyesore of a cabin, he knocked, breathing heavily.

The cabin door opened, and Silena showed her face through the doorway. When she saw his face, she pouted. "I thought I told you to arrive earlier, like ten minutes ago."

"Sorry," Markus apologized. "I got held up with... stuff. Anyway, you needed me for something?"

"Yeah." With that, she reached into her pocket and brought out a slip of paper, which she gave to him. "Here. This is my Skype details."

Markus looked at the piece of paper, and then back to her. "You use Skype?"

At his question, she frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

"Who uses Skype nowadays? Only old people use it."

"Well, you don't see me use a phone because of monsters, so I have to make due."

"With Skype? I don't even have Skype!"

"Well, get it!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Excuse me for trying to come up with a way to keep in touch with each other."

"I don't even have a computer!" Though he could easily buy one with his LotusCash card that he still had, but he didn't tell her that. "I'm not going to go get a computer just to use Skype. Use another method!"

"I don't want to because that's all I have!"

"Well, have you tried using letters, because I think I'd prefer that over using-"

"You _will_ use get a Skype account and try and message me when you're away." She said this part strongly, putting emphasis on her words.

Markus was about to argue, but found that his mouth wouldn't open. In fact, he even found himself wanting to listen her, to get a computer and set up a Skype account. Strangely, he even found himself nodding.

Silena smiled when she saw this. "Good!"

Markus glared, this time able to open his mouth. "Do you _have_ to use charmspeak everytime you're in an argument? It's not fair!"

Silena shrugged. "It's easier to win arguments that way."

"Cheater."

"I call it 'playing to your strengths'."

"You still cheated."

"Oi, save your flirting for later. Some of us are trying to pack here," yelled one camper, dragging his suitcase behind him. Other campers nodded in agreement, though a few looked at the two of them in amusement.

Both Silena and Markus blushed, not paying attention to now gathered campers. Turning to face her, Markus decided to ask her something. "So, uh, you want to, uh, hang out until we leave?"

Silena got rid of her blush, and nodded, smiling. "Sure."

So they just walked around the camp, wandering aimlessly, just chatting with one another. Silena told him about her dad, and how she managed living with him. She also told him that she came to camp when she was eleven. Markus told her about his new apartment and how he planned on spending money to buy some new stuff for himself and his cabin, if he could manage it.

It felt nice for the two of them. However, they had to ignore the teasing looks some nymphs, naiads and campers sent them. Markus planned to get revenge on them at some point, no matter how long it took.

The two of them didn't know how long their walk took, but they soon found out when they heard Chiron's conch horn blow. This caused them to look up in surprise, their eyes looking upon the sky.

Silena was shocked that they spent so much time walking. Markus, however, looked around and turned to see Chiron rushing Percy to the Big House.

Markus wasn't sure what happened, but he had to check on Percy. He turned to Silena. "Hey, Silena. Sorry to cut it short, but I have to check on Percy."

She waved her hand dismissively. "No, don't worry. It's okay. Go check on him."

Nodding in thanks, Markus dashed after Chiron to check on his brother.

 **XXX**

Markus was tapping his foot impatiently as she sat in a chair on Percy's left, Annabeth was sitting on his right, holding a cup of nectar to the boy's mouth and dabbing his forehead with a washcloth. Argus was sitting guard in the corner.

When Markus arrived at the infirmary, Percy looked like he was almost half-dead. Chiron though had managed to heal him.

Percy stirred and mumbled, "Here we go again."

"You idiot," Annabeth said, but despite her harsh words she looked overjoyed more than anything.

"Glad to see you awake, baby brother," Markus said, just as relieved as Annabeth.

"You were green and turning grey when we found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing ..." Annabeth trailed off.

"Now, now," Chiron's voice said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

He was sitting near the foot of the bed in his wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale.

"How are you feeling?" the centaur asked.

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved," Percy commented.

"Sounds like a pleasant experience," Markus muttered sarcastically. Probably unnecessary, but he was worried. He always was sarcastic when worried.

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom." Chiron nodded, "Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."

Between sips of nectar, Percy told them the story. Luke was the thief that had stolen the master bolt and the helm of darkness. He was going to give them to Kronos since he wanted to destroy the gods and all of Western Civilization.

When Percy was done, the room was quiet for a long time.

"I can't believe that Luke ..." Annabeth's voice began strongly but quickly faltered, her expression turning angry and sad as it did. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him. He was never the same after his quest."

Markus was silent, pondering on what he'd heard. Luke was nice, he helped him when he first arrived at camp. And continued to be helpful throughout. But after this? He didn't know how to feel. He didn't feel as betrayed as Annabeth, since he wasn't as close to him as she was, but his betrayal left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."

"Luke is out there right now," Percy said. "I have to go after him."

"Not like that you aren't," Markus said firmly.

Chiron nodded in agreement, "Markus is right, Percy. The gods-"

"Won't even talk about Kronos," Percy snapped. "Zeus declared the matter closed!"

"Percy, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready."

But when will we be ready, Chiron?" Markus asked. "You're not telling us anything. Neither are the gods. How are we supposed to prepare if we don't know what's going to happen or when it's going to start?"

Chiron had a look on his face, like he agreed with what Markus said, but still reluctant to say anything.

Percy gritted his teeth, but he must have known that Chiron was right, it was obvious that he wasn't going to be sword fighting anytime soon. He gained a bitter look as he locked eyes with the trainer while asking, "Chiron...your prophecy from the Oracle...it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? Or Markus? And Annabeth?"

Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, it isn't my place-"

"You were ordered not to talk about it, weren't you?" Markus interrupted, frowning.

His eyes were sympathetic, but sad. "You two will be great heroes, children. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you..."

Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.

"We can't just sit back and do nothing," Percy tried to argue.

"We will not sit back," Chiron promised. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to become unravelled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

"Can't really prepare ourselves if we don't know what's coming," Markus remarked bitterly. First Zeus not even wanting to mention Kronos' approach, now this? If this was how things were going to go, they were doomed.

Seeing their expressions, Chiron put his hands on the Percy's ankle and Markus' shoulder. "You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice..." Both boys got the feeling that he had a very definite opinion, and it was taking all his willpower not to advise him. "But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision. The same could be said about your living arrangements, Markus."

"I'm going," Markus said firmly. "I know you want me to train at camp, Chiron. But don't worry. I can do that myself. Hecate can help me. I'm going to get stronger. I'm not going to just wait until Kronos comes. Because he will."

Nodding his head happily, Chiron turned to Percy, who didn't give an answer yet.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron promised. "Argus will watch over you." Then he glanced at Annabeth. "Oh, and, my dear...whenever you're ready, they're here."

"Who's here?" Percy asked curiously. Markus was also curious.

Nobody answered as Chiron rolled himself out of the room.

Annabeth studied the ice in the drink as Markus looked at her expectantly.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked her.

"Nothing." The blonde set the glass on the table. "I...just took your advice about something. You...um ...need anything?"

"Yeah. Help me up. I want to go outside."

"Percy, that isn't a good idea."

Markus scoffed. "Like that's going to stop him."

Percy grunted, but didn't deny it.

He slid his legs out of bed. Annabeth and Markus caught him before he could crumple to the floor. His face turned green.

Annabeth said, "I told you-"

"I'm fine," the boy insisted stubbornly.

"Stubborn as a bull, this one," Markus said.

Percy turned to him. "Pot, meet kettle. Sound familiar?"

"Oh, so you can tell a joke. I thought you just had a stick up your ass."

Percy spluttered in embarrassment as Markus smirked, winning this round.

"Boys," Annabeth muttered.

He managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Annabeth and Markus as they helped him walk. Argus followed them outside, but he kept his distance.

By the time they reached the porch, Percy's face was beaded with sweat and he looked like he was having stomach pains. Still, he had managed to make it all the way to the railing.

It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit silent. No canoes cut the surface of the lake. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.

"What are you going to do?" Annabeth asked Percy.

"I don't know."

When Annabeth turned her head to Markus, he just answered, "Training. I'll try and get Hecate to teach me some magic when I have some time. I know I could do the training in camp, but I doubt Hecate would just pop into camp almost all the time. She'll try to contact me with dreams or visions. Plus I also want a life outside camp as well."

Percy told the two that he was sure Chiron wanted him and Markus to stay year-rounders, get more individual training time, but he was still confused on what he wanted to do. He also admitted that he felt bad about leaving Annabeth alone with Clarisse for company.

At this, Annabeth pursed her lips, then quietly said, "I'm going home for the year, Percy."

Percy stared at her. "You mean, to your dad's?"

Markus also looked surprised. He didn't know she was going to her dad's. He was thinking that it might not be a good idea, but left it for Annabeth to decide. It was her decision, and he couldn't change that. It wouldn't be the right thing to do.

The blonde pointed toward the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Next to Thalia's pine tree, at the very edge of the camp's magical boundaries, a family stood silhouetted: two little children, a woman, and a tall man. They seemed to be waiting. The man was holding a backpack that looked like the one Annabeth had gotten from Waterland in Denver.

"I wrote him a letter when we got back," Annabeth said. "Just like you suggested. I told him...I was sorry. I'd come home for the school year if he still wanted me. He wrote back immediately. We decided...we'd give it another try."

"That took guts." Percy commented.

Markus nodded, feeling slightly proud of her. Annabeth pursed her lips at Percy. "You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you? At least ... not without sending me an Iris-message?"

"Annie, you wound me!" Markus gasped dramatically. "How could you leave me out?" He then dodged a punch from her while laughing. "And that's why I don't plan on calling you," Annabeth grumbled. "Don't call me Annie."

"Well, when you tell me not to say it..." Markus said mischievously, ignoring the burning glare the girl was giving him.

"I think I'm going to miss you the least."

"Nonsense, you love me." With that, he gave her a big hug. She tried breaking out of it, but gave up after he just held onto her, since he more physically stronger. After a moment, she returned the hug. "Fine. I'll miss you."

"Ditto."

With that, both of them separated. But not before Annabeth gave him a jab in his stomach, making him almost double over. "And that was for calling me Annie."

Percy laughed at the byplay between the two. Then he turned the conversation back to where it was before. He managed a smile. "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to."

"When I get back next summer," the blonde said, "we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?"

"Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena." The boy smirked.

"I second that," Markus replied.

Annabeth shook her head and held out her hand to Percy that he gladly shook. She did the same with Markus.

"Take care, Seaweed Brain, Squid Head," Annabeth told them. "Keep your eyes open."

"Same to you, Wise Girl," Percy said. Markus just waved his hand for goodbye.

With all the goodbyes done, Annabeth walked towards Half-Blood Hill.

Annabeth walked up to her father and gave him an awkward hug. She looked at the valley one last time and turned to Thalia's tree and placed her hand on it. With that, she descended down the crest of the hill and into the mortal world.

As Annabeth disappeared from sight with her family, Percy suddenly looked thoughtful as he turned to look out at Long Island Sound.

"I'll be back next summer," Percy suddenly said. "I'll survive until then. After all, I am your son."

"Yeah," Markus said in the same direction as Percy. "We don't plan to die so easily. We'll survive. Look out for us, will ya?"

Both boys went to Cabin Three, so they could pack their bags for home.

Markus was walking with Percy as they ascended the hill with his bag in tow. His mum was waiting for him at the bottom with a taxi.

Percy turned to his brother. "Good luck."

Markus smiled. "Yeah. You too."

With that, they shook hands, and parted ways: Percy heading to his mum, and Markus drifting off to the hillside downwards.

Before he disappeared down the hills, he turned in the direction of Camp Half-Blood. As he looked on, he wondered about how he was going to defend the place that became home to him. He wanted to get stronger. Strong enough to protect his home and his friends. But because of Zeus and Chiron's hesitance, they were going in blind. How were they going to prepare for Kronos' rise when they didn't even know this so-called prophecy? When the King of the Gods was in denial? With the way they were going, they were going to be killed before they were even prepared.

As Markus pondered on his thoughts, he stuffed his hands in his pockets. When his hands touched something cold. Taking it out of his pocket, he saw that it was the dragon pendant Ryūjin had given him on his quest. He thought about the dragon god's offer for advice, and he decided that he would take up his offer. If the Greek gods weren't going to help him or tell him anything, why not go to the Shintos instead? It wouldn't hurt to try.

Right there, Markus made a decision. He wasn't going to be held down by anyone. Not Zeus. Not Chiron. No one. He was going to carve his own path. He'll gain strength. He'll become so strong that whatever force Kronos sends, he'll crush them, so they won't harm what he holds dear. He wanted strength. He wanted power. And no force on Earth was going to stop his pursuit. Not Poseidon. Not Zeus. Nobody.

"I swear on the Styx that no one will stop me from gaining the power to protect myself and my family," Markus swore, and lightning boomed over the sky, signifying that the oath was made. Yeah, it may have been grave. It may have been rash and stupid. But he didn't care. He planned to become the strongest that he could be. Or die trying.

And just then, part of the prophecy he'd been given by the Oracle, which felt like years ago, came into his mind. Specifically, the part about him: _The mystic son of the sea shall make a decision. One that will affect him gravely in the future._

 **Hello, everyone! Glad to write to you guys again. And I just want to celebrate something. I FINALLY managed to finish the first book. Thank God! It feels like almost a lifetime to me when I started writing this. This is a great milestone for me, and I'm going to enjoy it!**

 **...Okay, celebration over. So, I hoped you liked the new chapter. About the part with Gabe. It was something I put down because I wanted to make the story serious and a bit gruesome. If I did poorly, review to me. Constructive criticism is good for me.**

 **Hope you liked how the part I added from the Oracle tied in at the end. From here, the story will deviate from canon, focusing on Markus' progress on magic and other stuff, which you can find out next chapter.**

 **Thanks to all those who favourited, reviewed, and followed the story. You guys are a big help to me. Thanks so much. Love you guys.**

 **Read and review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

If anyone who Markus knew had seen the way he was living in his apartment, he would convince them that he was acting responsibly and maturely.

But really, he was living like a king, and he fucking loved it.

It was two weeks since he had left Camp Half-Blood, and since then, he'd been enjoying his stay in his new apartment. At first, he didn't know how to adapt to this kind of lifestyle, since he was so to living on the streets. Living in an extravagant apartment? Big difference.

But he quickly learned to adapt to it. He wasn't used to living in these conditions, nor having this much money. He didn't even know what to buy. A few days after he came back to his apartment, he bought a laptop to look at what he really needed in his place. He didn't think monsters could track him, since he was using a laptop instead of a phone. And if they could track him, he was willing to risk it. He needed new stuff for his apartment. He may have the essentials already, but it couldn't hurt to do a little more shopping.

However, when he quickly got onto the laptop, he quickly got infected with the problem many people had with access to the Internet and a lot of money.

Internet shopping.

When he quickly got a look at all the stuff that he was interested in, like a Playstation 2 and an Xbox 360, along with a couple of games, he quickly ordered them to his apartment. Thankfully, there wasn't a problem with them selling this stuff to a thirteen year old boy (his birthday being August 29) who lived on his own. No problem whatsoever. No use of the Mist applied to convince them. Not at all... well maybe a little.

Anyway, back to his lifestyle. Ever since getting his hands on the gaming consoles, he'd been slowly turning into a gamer. But it's not like he could help it. He had really cool games, like Call of Duty 2, the Devil May Cry series from 1-3, Dead or Alive 4, and many others. Though it was a little distracting with his ADHD sometimes, he didn't let it distract him. Surprisingly, playing video games seemed to help him with his ADHD a lot by making him focus on certain details in each game he played. It wasn't much, but it was still something.

That didn't mean Markus neglected his demigod training. Oh no, he still trained with his powers and swordplay, though not much on swordplay since he was still in an apartment. Hr doubted he could step outside to practice, even with the Mist helping him. He'd probably look like a fool.

But anyway, Markus still trained with his water powers. He practiced mostly in the bathroom, which had a large bath tub and a lot of fancy-looking stuff. He filled the bathtub with water and trained in different ways with it, from creating several spheres of water in mid-air and holding them together with his mind, to forming different shapes with the water, from tridents to swords and even small sea creatures. It may be silly, but it was great practice that helped with his concentration.

Also, since his encounter at the Lotus Casino, he'd gained an interest in several manga. He'd tried reading some online, but it felt better actually reading physically. So, he went to the nearest comic book store, which also sold manga. After browsing through the manga section, he had become interested in several different types. Ones like Naruto, Bleach and Fairy Tail had caught his attention. Intrigued, he'd purchased them and brought them home, where he read a few pages. Needless to say, he'd quickly become hooked.

Markus even took some interest in watching anime that he'd downloaded on his TV, though he still preferred reading manga better. Unknowingly, he'd quickly become what was dubbed an 'otaku', though Markus would deny it if he became aware of it.

Currently, he was taking a hot showe, which he enjoyed to the fullest. He wasn't bothered by the heat, being a son of Poseidon. Water temperatures didn't bother him. If he tried hard enough, he could change the temperature of the water if he wanted. Something to look into later, he supposed.

As Markus finished his shower, he grabbed the towel on the rack and stepped out, wrapping the towel around his waist. He walked out of the bathroom, whistling while doing so. He stepped into the kitchen, completely missing the new resident in his living room.

"I see you are enjoying yourself, Markus Henderson," a familiar voice said.

Markus jumped, his towel almost falling off his body. He whirled, turning to the person who just entered his home uninvited, but then calmed down when he saw who it was.

"Hecate," he responded in greeting. The goddess of magic was seated on his couch, wearing flannel jeans and a red blouse. She was still had the same physical appearance as when he met her in his dream, though her blonde hair was loose around her shoulders. She finished her look with sandals on her feet. She looked casual enough, though Markus knew this wasn't a normal meeting. It never was with gods.

He sighed. "Well, what do you want? Since you can't seem to knock." He wasn't really happy to see the goddess unannounced. He had enough of jump scares. Plus, it was embarrassing to talk to your boss in a towel.

Hecate's eyes narrowed. "You should watch your tone, Markus. Many gods will not take kindly to disrespect."

Markus rolled his eyes. "In case you didn't notice, I'm a dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a god for a parent. Not to mention I fight monsters who want to kill me. Oh, and I also am basically a wizard who knows magic. The stress gets to me sometimes. I'll ask again: what do you want?"

Hecate's eyes narrowed even more, if that were possible. She had a deep scowl on her face. Markus got why she was a bit pissy. He might be a little disrespectful. But he was just being honest.

Thankfully, Hecate decided not to blow up. She exhaled sharply. "I forgot how it was."

"Forgot how what was?" Markus asked.

"How it was dealing with a Henderson," the goddess answered, a small smile on her face.

Markus nearly choked on his own spit. Dealing with a Henderson? He immediately knew that Hecate was talking about his mother.

Markus smiled sadly. "She had the same attitude as me, huh?"

"Oh yes," Hecate nodded, a melancholic smile on her face. "The same sense of humour, the same snark that I can see in both of your eyes. It brings back memories. Your mother was special, that I can tell."

"Yeah," Markus nodded. "I know."

An awkward silence permeated through the room. Markus, who was uncomfortable, decided to break it. "Back to the question, Hecate. What do you want from me?"

"Ah, yes." Hecate's melancholic expression faded, replaced by a serious one. "I came here because I need you to do a quest for me."

Markus sighed. He was expecting the goddess to show herself at some point to offer him a quest. So he wasn't too surprised by the offer. Still, he had to ask. "And what quest do I have to do?"

"I want you to retrieve an ancient tome for me," Hecate answered, her eyes narrowing at the word _tome._

Markus' eyebrows raised. Guess Hecate didn't seem to like this tome. "And what's up with it? From looking at your expression, I can tell that you don't like it."

"Indeed," the goddess agreed. "It's called the Tenentem de Obumbratio."

"Holding of Shadows?" Markus questioned, easily translating the Latin words.

"Yes. It was created by one of my children in the 13th century. He was a necromancer named Adrian Bemus, but that's not important. What _is_ important is the tome's secrets that it contains. Like the name suggests, it contains dark magic. Black magic. Magic so vile that it should not be unleashed." **(A.N. - Think of the Darkhold from Marvel comics, only much more weaker).**

Markus blinked. That was some serious stuff. And she wanted him to retrieve it? "Hold up," Markus said, raising his hands in a time-out gesture. "If this tome is so dangerous, why do you want me to get it? It's probably protected by magical barriers or something like that."

Hecate shook her head. "Oh, no. The tome isn't protected by a strong barrier. In fact, it can easily be overcome by brute force."

"Then what's the danger behind this quest?" Markus queried. He refused to believe that it would be that easy. It never was.

"The tome might end up in the wrong hands. Anyone who opens the book will immediately be consumed by the darkness within. It won't have much effect on gods, maybe minor deities. But demigods, woodland creatures and anyone else? They would be corrupted by black magic."

Markus gaped. "And you want me to get _that?_ What if _I_ get corrupted while trying to retrieve it? Uh-uh. No way. Not happening."

Hecate rolled her eyes. Markus had a feeling that she'd be doing that often. "Honestly, Markus. Do you think I would send you on a quest with full knowledge that you'd die and _not_ fully prepare?"

"... Is that a trick question?" Markus asked cautiously and somewhat jokingly.

Hecate scowled. "You do not need to touch the book to be corrupted. Only if you open the book will you be corrupted. To protect you, you can carry a sack with a rune on it to protect you. Surely my disciple can draw a simple protection rune?"

"Ha ha," Markus said mockingly. "You're hilarious."

"The Tenentem de Obumbratio is located in Quebec, Canada. There is no set time-limit, but I would appreciate if you could retrieve it soon. The longer it remains unattended, the more risk there is that it will fall into the wrong hands. I need to correct the mistake that my son has caused."

Markus nodded, then blinked. "How am I going to travel to Quebec? In case you didn't notice, I can't go in a plane because Mr. Thunderfart himself will shoot me down."

The sky rumbled with thunder in response to Markus' naming of the sky god. He shrugged. It was true.

Hecate decided to ignore his nickname for Zeus. "I will take care of that. Take this." She held out her hand, and a stone appeared onto her palm. It was smooth, and was the size of a tennis ball. On top of it was a Greek letter: Eta, meaning _H._ Markus thought it was a symbol of Hephaestus, but it wasn't. Surrounding the letter was a symbol of magic, signifying that it represented Hecate. It was like one of those magic circles that you see in some fake fortune-teller stuff. Though this was very real.

"It is a magic circle that is tied to me," Hecate explained. "When you are about to leave, it will transport you to your destination. When you have completed your objective, the magic circle will transport you to your apartment, where I will meet you. It will automatically react to the dark magic of the Holding of Shadows as well as your magic. This will signify that you have it in your grasp."

Markus nodded, taking in all the information given to him. It sounded like a simple quest, but he knew it was going to be anything but. He just had to prepare for it properly. Speaking of...

Markus turned to the goddess and nodded. "Okay. I'll take the quest. But before that, could you possibly teach me some battle spells? You know, for preparation for the quest."

Markus didn't expect much of an answer. He didn't mind if she had said no. But as soon as he asked that question, Hecate's features narrowed, even more than before. But it didn't look like she was angry. More like disappointed. Markus felt a small shiver down his spine at her expression.

When she spoke, her tone was blank, but also grave. "You must control yourself, Markus Henderson."

Markus blinked. Control himself? He just asked to be taught a few spells. A simple 'no' would be fine. "Wha-"

"I have noticed something about you, Markus," Hecate continued, strangely stern all of a sudden. "I have watched over you, observing you. From the time you realised that you were a demigod, to the duration of your quest, to your return to your camp. And through those observations I have noticed instances of your fatal flaw. More specifically, flaws."

"What's a fatal flaw?" Markus asked. It sounded self-explanatory but there seemed to be a deeper meaning behind it.

"A fatal flaw is a mental weakness possessed in all mortals, demigods and gods. If it's not controlled, you may end up dead. Most have only one fatal flaw. You, on the other hand, have two. Anger and greed."

Markus processed this new information. In all honesty, he wasn't surprised that those two were his fatal flaws. He had lost himself to his anger on more than one occasion. Instances like his meeting with Poseidon and mind rape of Gabe flashed into his mind.

And greed? That wasn't a surprise. His living in his apartment showcased it fully. He already knew that he was greedy about a lot of things. Hecate just confirmed it. "It's that bad, huh?"

"Yes," Hecate said, nodding. "I suppose your anger is not completely your fault. Your father was known for his temper in ancient times. He seems to have mellowed out, but that anger still remains today. Demigods inherit more than their parents' power. They mostly inherit their flaws. You have inherited Poseidon's anger. It is like the 'calm before the storm'. The sea has different sides. You have inherited the vengeful side of it. "

Markus winced. Yeah, that was pretty bad. "And greed?"

"You want more," Hecate said simply. "Be it power, wealth, knowledge, it is the same. This is more of a self-developed fatal flaw, most likely from your times living on the street. You wanted more, didn't you? You didn't want to live in the situation you previously lived in."

Markus listened with rapt attention. The way Hecate said it, it seemed like a bad thing. He licked his suddenly dry lips. "W-what is it that I want?"

Hecate thought for a moment. "Power. But sometimes wealth as well." Seeing Markus' expression, her features softened. "It is not necessarily a bad thing. If you learned to control your fatal flaws, it could be beneficial to you. Think of it like this, you can control your greed so that you can become stronger, while also controlling your anger to give you the drive. The anger is the fuel, while the greed is the desire. Hand-in-hand, they can become a deadly combination. Both to you and your enemies. But you must learn to control them. Greed especially. It is a common sin amongst mortals. I have seen many fall due to their greed. I do not wish the same upon you."

And on that happy note, Hecate handed several books that she made out of thin air into Markus' hands. Then she disappeared. No bright light. No rush of wind. Just simple disappearance.

 **XXX**

Markus grumbled as he appeared out of purple smoke. He landed on the ground, appearing to be on the outskirts of a city. The reason he was so grouchy was because he landed on his ass. It hurt a lot.

"Stupid magic goddess. Stupid shitty magical transport," he continued to grumble.

Immediately he could feel the change in temperature. Now that he was up north, he could feel the cold prick his skin and try to get under his clothes. It way way too windy.

The change in temperature didn't really bother him that much, but he would prefer to find the Holding of Shadows as soon as possible.

Quebec was a bit different to what he was used to. It wasn't like New York, which was loud, or Los Angeles, which was big and imposing. It seemed to be somewhere in between. The city seemed to be quiet, yet the city felt large and grand. It was currently around mid-afternoon about now. In the distance was a large castle. Who lived in a castle nowadays?

Anyways, Markus had to focus. He was thankful that he was able to learn two new battle spells from books that he received from Hecate. One of them was called _Sagitta Spiralis,_ which launched a large spiralling arcane bolt that was similar to a missile. The other spell was called _Stella Inspiratione,_ which was basically an overpowered flash bomb. In addition to blinding enemies, it also unleashed a large bomb of superheated light that burned almost anything in its radius. Though this spell took quite a bit of time and magic to perform.

Markus was giddy to test out his new spells and the power behind them. Then he remembered what Hecate talked about before he left. He promptly put it out of his mind for the moment.

He brought out the stone that had the magic circle on it. Immediately, the circle flared, showing that it was outlined with a black colour. When he moved a certain distance, it pulsed strongly or faded weakly. Markus guessed it was kind of like a magic metal detector, indicating if he was close to the Holding of Shadows or not. Pretty cool.

Markus walked in straight ahead, entering the city but walking near the suburbs. The magic circle pulsed strongly, showing that he was on the right path. Markus wondered how it was going to show the location of the tome. Was it going to start flashing? Maybe sound out an alarm or something? He didn't know for sure.

He kept on walking for twenty minutes. He felt he was about to lose any semblance of patience and throw the stone in his hand on the ground and crush it out of frustration when the magic circle suddenly flared. The black outline o the magic circle turned a deep ebony, the design making it look like the stone was bleeding black blood along the surface.

Markus looked around, seeing an empty clearing with trees, a field of grass and a small bush. No tome.

But he knew that it was here. The magic circle was clearly indicating that it was. Trying to sense it, Markus spread out his magic. It wasn't really sensing where it was, more like learning what the Holding of Shadows' magic felt like. It was a technique that Alabaster taught him. He said it would help with his ADHD and concentration. This was a skill most Hecate children were taught.

As soon as he spread out his magic, he recoiled as if he were burned. When his magic was spread out in a particular direction, he could feel something foul, as if Hades himself was standing in front of him with an aura of death, which he knew since he had met the undead bastard in the Underworld.

It wasn't exactly like Hades' aura, he noted. It was much weaker, but had the same kind of malice. Markus recalled that the Holding of Shadows was made by a necromancer. Necromancy was death magic. Shadow magic. He bet Hades wouldn't be too thrilled if he knew of this.

Following the source of the aura, Markus turned to look at the area behind one of the larger trees. The aura kept on growing stronger the more he moved. As soon as he touched the ground, a magic circle appeared.

This one was different from the one on the stone Markus had. This one was a deep purple, with symbols that Markus had never seen before. He could see that one of them was an eye, like the one Egyptians had with purple eyeliner. Another was a skull with a serpent in its mouth.

Markus decided to ignore the magic circle, and focused on trying to break it.

Standing up and backing away from it, he put out his palms and spoke the words of his new spell. " _Sagitta Spiralis_!" As soon as he said those words, a large spiralling bolt of magic shot forward and hit the purple magic circle. Markus made sure to limit the power of the spell, as he didn't want the tome to be harmed.

A large bang echoed out through the forest, along with a small cloud of dust. When Markus was able to see properly he saw that the magic circle was slightly broken, with a few cracks on it. Along with that, the surrounding area was damaged by the collision of magic. Trees were snapped. The grass was covered in soot. Damn, guess he was going to need more firepower.

He walked up to the magic circle and raised his fist. He channelled earthquake energy, making his fist vibrate very quickly. He brought it down hard, striking the magic circle, making a loud _boom_ echo across the forest.

The magic circle gave way, collapsing and fading away into particles of purple light. When Markus looked inside the hole that was protected by the circle, he could see the Holding of Shadows inside.

It was a large book, with more pages than a normal phone book. It had a black cover, with no intricate carvings or markings on it. Nothing to indicate that it was a necromancer's book. It did, however, have a large stylish 'A' that was gilded with gold. Markus didn't know what the 'A' standed for. Maybe 'Adrian'?

As soon as Markus drew closer to the Holding of Shadows, he could feel its foul presence again, only much stronger. He could hear dark whispers in his mind, tempting him to open the book, to devour its secrets.

Markus knew that the book was bad news. That it would corrupt him if he opened it. But a small voice, deep in his head, kept on telling him, _Open it. Consume the power. You could gain more strength. More power. To protect those you hold dear._

Now Markus understood why Hecate said greed was a terrible thing. If he was actually tempted, he could... no, best not think about it.

He reached into his pocket and brought out a black glove and a sackcloth. Both of them had a Greek rune on them, the rune for 'light' and 'protection'. The glove for when he picked up the Holding of Shadows, and the cloth for containing it. The sackcloth was double-layered with protection runes. He'd rather be safe than sorry.

Wanting to get it over with, Markus put on the glove and reached down, taking hold of the tome. It felt cold in his hand, like he was touching a corpse. He resisted the urge to drop the book out of pure revulsion. The whispers in his voice got louder. Stronger. It was like listening to Kronos' voice on the tips of the pit Tartarus.

He quickly placed the Holding of Shadows in the sackcloth, tying it with a string and muttering a few incantations, making the runes on the cloth light up and take effect.

He sighed in relief. He put the sackcloth in another rucksack that he brought with him. He was thankful that it was over.

He was about to reach into his pocket to take hold of the stone with the magic circle when he heard the flapping of wings overhead.

Markus muttered, "Goddammit." Well, at least he was prepared for confrontation. He just knew that this quest was too easy. So something had to go wrong.

He looked up and saw two winged men approaching him. Markus thought they were monsters. Or gods. He really hoped that they weren't gods. He didn't want to deal with the drama that came with that.

"So this was where all that noise and light show was coming from," commented the one on the right in a really bad fake French accent. He looked full of himself, like an arrogant douchebag. Oh, joy.

"Kill! Destroy!" the one on the left barked. He looked more brutish than the other guy, like a jock.

"So what's a kid like you hanging around here?" the arrogant one asked, peering down on Markus. "You're not supposed to be here."

Markus raised his eyebrow. "Oh, I didn't know I needed papers to enter this spot," he muttered sarcastically.

"This is a restricted area," the arrogant one continued, his piss poor accent making Markus want to punch him in the face.

"Says who?" Markus asked.

"Us!" the brutish one said with a smirk. "Me Cal!"

"Short for Calias. I'm Zethes," Zethes said with a smirk. "My brother is, unfortunately, limited to words that are fewer than two syllables."

"Destroy! Kill! Pizza!" Calias bellowed.

Zethes shrugged. "Those are his favourite words, apparently. So kid, we're going have to ask you to leave."

Markus sighed in relief. Finally, something going right for him! "That's what I was about to do before you guys came and interrogated me! Now, if you'll excuse me..." Markus took out the magic circle and was about to be teleported away but was interrupted by Zethes. "Wait, hold on, kid."

Markus growled in frustration. "Godsdammit, what now?! What is so important that you had to interrupt me?! You _just_ told me I had to leave. So what the hell do you need me for?!"

"Since you were responsible for that little light show, as well as the damage around the area, which did disturb us, we kind of have to destroy you," Zethes said, smirking with each word said. His brother seemed to like that idea, judging from his loud grunts and nods.

Markus gaped. What kind of bullshit reason was that? First he was told to leave, and now he was told that he was going to be killed?!

He growled. "You're serious? You're actually going through with this? Because if you fight me, I'm going to retaliate. And I'm _very_ angry right now. You will not like me when I'm angry. You should see what happened to the last guy who pissed me off."

"Don't care! We destroy! You die!" Cal said with a scowl. "Boy mess up place! Have to pay!"

Markus clapped his hands slowly and mockingly. "Wow, congrats, big man. You said five sentences. Excellent use of vocabulary. You want a gold sticker for that? Or a certificate for you _great_ progress?"

Zethes shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry, kid. You mess up, you have to pay for your mess. No hard feelings, though." He brought out a bronze sword, while Cal brought out a hockey stick. He was really completing the image of a dumb jock.

"... You know what, fuck this shit," Markus said, scowling. He just knew that something was going to go infinitely wrong. Fuck you, Fates. He concentrated on using the Mist around him. Soon dozens upon dozens of weapons appeared around him out of Mist. He waved his hand towards the two brothers, shouting, "Arma Verberare!" He basically just said 'Weapons Barrage' in Latin, just to sound cooler. Saying 'Weapons Barrage' out loud sounded a bit lame.

With his command, the weapons launched themselves at high speeds towards the winged brothers. They tried to dodge the barrage, barely getting skewered by the different weapons.

Markus just waved his hand in their direction, and the weapons doubled their efforts, heading in the brothers' direction faster this time. They tried deflecting a few of them, but it was pointless. Zethes' sword swings couldn't keep track of the weapons' speed, and Calias' hockey stick was broken when the first weapon came into contact with it.

Pretty soon, the brothers looked like oversized, winged porcupines with the amount of weapons sticking out of them. It was a good thing for them that they were somewhat resilient, or they would be dead by now.

They weren't without injury, though. Dozens of cuts and wounds appeared all over them, on their face, ripped clothes and torsos, legs. Zethes wasn't smiling any more. Now he looked murderous. He was glaring holes into Markus' head. "You're going to pay for that, brat," he growled, though his voice sounded weird with his fake French accent and his pained voice, like a whiny Transformer.

Calias didn't say anything, though he gave Markus the same look as his brother. Though it was kind of funny with him glaring with his jock looks and weapons sticking out of him.

Markus just smiled sweetly. "Aw, damn it. I didn't kill the two chickens properly. I'm starting to grow hungry. Oh, well. If skewering you won't kill you, guess roasting you guys will have to do." And with that, he held his palms out, glowing with the preparation of his _Stella Inspiratione_ spell. "It's such a shame. You guys were amusing. Guess you just have to settle being food for me."

Zethes tried to look arrogant, but Markus could see the fear in his eyes at his 'chicken and roasting' joke. Damn, did he really think he was going to eat them? He wasn't a cannibal.

Just as he was about to launch his spell, a cold voice interrupted him. "Pathetic. How could you two fools suffer this much damage from a demigod?"

All three heads turned to see a woman of about twenty-three coming from the clearing of the trees. She had pale skin, like white-as-snow pale, with a beautiful face. She was wearing an icy blue dress that clung to her form. She had black hair that cascaded down her back as well as dark brown eyes that were glaring at all three residents.

Markus almost whistled in appreciation. Damn, she was hot. She even had the whole ice-queen theme going on. She reminded Markus of Killer Frost from the comics.

The woman looked at the two brothers with disgust in her eyes. Now that Markus could look closely, he could see the features of Zethes and Calias properly. They kind of looked similar to the woman who had appeared. Maybe they were siblings.

Then she looked at Markus with the same look as the two almost-skewered guys. He was kind of insulted.

"I am Khione, goddess of snow," the newly dubbed Khione announced. Well, Markus had guessed that she was a goddess. She had the looks of one. "So you are the nuisance that has been causing havoc among our area."

Markus' eyes narrowed. Nuisance? Oh, hell no. He pointed at Khione. "Listen, Ice Queen. I didn't want to come here in the first place. I'm on a quest from Hecate and just finished until these two dumbasses bothered me. So I'd appreciate if you'd actually be a little more polite because your attitude is just shit." Okay, once he'd said that aloud, he could kind of see where Hecate was coming from with his attitude towards gods. He blamed it on his ADHD. All blame towards it.

Khione's eyes narrowed to slits. Uh oh. "You impudent brat. You think that you can talk to a goddess like that and still expect to live?!"

Markus put his hands to his chin a thinking gesture. "Uh, yeah. Listen, lady. You aren't the first god I've battled before. Granted, I had help, but still."

Khione sneered, her beautiful features turning sharp. "Oh, yes. I've heard all about you, Markus Henderson. As well as your brother, Percy Jackson. I heard all about your little quest and how you retrieved Zeus' bolt like a good little lapdog. You think that just because you are a son of Poseidon that you can talk to me, the goddess of snow, like that?"

Markus just noticed that Zethes and Calias had moved from their original position to float behind Khione, grinning with glee.

He then turned his gaze to Khione. "Okay, quick question. You weren't going to let me leave even if I hadn't insulted you, were you?"

Khione gained an evil smirk in response to his question. Huh, well that answered that.

Markus cursed. He didn't want to fight a goddess at the moment. Not only did he know nothing about her, apart from her being the goddess of snow which indicated snow and ice powers, but he also wanted to just go to his apartment and watch anime. Oh, well. Battle first, then relax later.

He couldn't cast a _Stella Inspiratione_ at the moment since that took up time. And he guessed that was something Khione was going to give him. Well, he was going to have to improvise.

He raised his hands. _"Sagitta Spiralis_!" he shouted out, a bolt of spinning energy heading towards the trio. Khione just scoffed. She lazily swept her hand and a wall of jagged ice erupted from the ground and blocked the magical attack. "I pity Hecate if this is who she sent to complete a simple quest," she mocked.

Markus blinked. Well, that didn't work. He was about to think of a plan when he was interrupted by ice spikes being sent his way. He raised his palms again, this time conjuring the blue defensive magic circle to his palms, blocking the ice spikes.

He dropped his left hand and kept his right hand raised, keeping up the defensive magic circle. He kept on blocking incoming ice shards while he used his left hand to reach into his pocket and bring out his rune-writing ink and brush.

He crouched back still blocking the ice shards as he drew two runes on the ground. Both of them read, "V _ερό._ " Meaning 'water' in Greek. He was getting used to quickly drawing runes on the ground.

He jumped, dropping his magic circle and dodging the ice shards which hit at his previous location. He aimed his hand towards the runes on the ground. "V _ερό!"_

With that, two small geysers of water erupted from the ground where he wrote his runes. Mentally taking control of the water, he shaped it into water spikes and sent them towards Khione, who repeated her earlier action and summoned another ice wall. Without moving her hands, she summoned ice lances that appeared behind her, sending them his way.

Copying her, Markus made a water wall, hardening it so that the ice lances didn't pierce through the shield. When he felt that Khione had stopped shooting, he used the same water of the water wall to form a large water dragon with no eyes. His practice with water had allowed him this kind of control of water.

Roaring, he sent the water dragon towards the snow goddess, who didn't react to his display of water control. As soon as the water came a few meters towards her, it started to freeze. Slowly crystallising, the water dragon turned into an ice dragon.

With another sneer, Khione sent the newly made ice dragon towards Markus.

"Oh, come on!" he exclaimed. That was so not fair! When the ice dragon came close, Markus jumped, his contact with the water making him jump far higher. The ice dragon slithered on the ground beneath him, an icy trail left where it had touched the ground.

Quickly taking out Wavebreaker, he sliced the blade towards the neck of the ice dragon, making it shatter. Because of that, the head dropped to the ground, getting it shatter too. With that, the body of the ice dragon was left on the ground.

Markus sighed heavily, creating a cloud of vapour come out of his mouth. Wait, vapour? He turned to look at Khione, who was releasing an aura of coldness that affected the atmosphere around her. The air felt cold, like it was already winter instead of late autumn. Ice started creeping around her feet, spreading towards the surrounding area and freezing the plant life around her. It looked like an ice palace. One where he wouldn't want to go to. It might be smart for him to not touch the ice, lest he get frozen solid.

The change in temperature didn't really bother him. But he'd rather not take his chances. Turning to a nearby tree, he quickly wrote down, "Θερμότητα." Heat.

He turned to write on the other trees, but he noticed that they'd been flash frozen. Okay, no touching them, he guessed.

Activating the rune, heat started to surround the tree in which he'd written the rune. Going behind the tree, he immediately felt the heat surround him, making him feel warm and toasty. He knew that if he didn't hurry, he'd be turned into a dairy treat. It was a good thing he wrote that heat rune.

Markus mentally went over what he could do against the goddess. Okay, so water didn't work. She'd just freeze it. Fire was the obvious choice. But he was a son of the sea god. Writing a fire rune would make it weak. And anyway, Khione would just make more ice. And any attack she would block.

Damn, if only she couldn't freeze the water. He'd have probably drowned her if it weren't for that fact. He wished he could do the reverse.

Wait, reverse?

Markus felt like slapping his head for his own idiocy. Dumbass. Ice was water. Frozen water, but still water. If he could control it like he did with water...

But he'd never tried controlling ice before. He didn't know if it was going to work. But he might as well try it.

"Are you finished daydreaming, Markus Henderson?" a nearby voice said. Thank the gods for his battle reflexes. Markus immediately ducked, narrowly avoiding the ice javelin that would've taken his head off.

He rolled to dodge incoming ice javelins. He looked at Khione, who still had the arrogant smirk on her face, similar to Zethes. Huh, now he could see the resemblance.

Not wanting to test his theory out and end up dead, Markus quickly wrote the rune for 'fire' on Wavebreaker, "Φωτιά." Activating the rune, Wavebreaker immediately bursted into flames. He didn't know whether Wavebreaker could withstand the heat, but then he remembered that it was forged in Atlantis. Which was underwater. He figured it would be fine.

Charging forward, a flaming Wavebreaker in one hand and a defensive magic circle in another, he leaped out, tanking ice javelins and avoiding the icy parts of the floor, not wanting to slip. That would've been embarrassing and he could end up dead.

He swatted any ice attack with a flaming Wavebreaker, the ice melting when it came near the flames. He was nearing Khione, who had a fearful look at the sword. Well, the ice goddess doesn't like fire. Good for him.

She tried to make another ice wall, but he stabbed forward, the flaming blade piercing it. The ice around the sword quickly melted. Yanking out Wavebreaker, he swung, cutting into the ice wall like a hot knife through butter. The wall fell apart and with that, he jumped over it, taking a swipe at the goddess.

Khione produced an ice sword and met his attack. But the sword quickly melted. And she insulted him? What kind of idiot thought that ice would beat fire? Apparently her. Markus guessed that she really couldn't use anything else but ice.

Markus swung at her, making a cut appear on her dress as well as her stomach. Considering that his sword was still on fire, that had to have hurt badly.

"Aaaah!" she screamed in agony, her wound appearing as an angry red burn that looked like a huge contrast with her pale skin. There was no ichor, as his attack cauterised the wound. There was even parts of the wound that was black as well. Well he didn't really feel sorry for her.

"Damn you, you filthy brat!" she roared in pain. She swept her hand before Markus could go for another strike. He was immediately swept in a small icy tornado of wind.

"What the hell?!" he yelled. Since when could she manipulate wind?! Markus tried to get out of the tornado, but it was a losing battle. The icy winds buffeted him, slicing against him, giving him small cuts with a feeling of ice.

He didn't have time to feel the pain as he was swinging around, being swept from one place to another. How the hell was he going to get out of this? He was already getting vertigo, and he felt like he was about to throw up.

He tried to look at his surroundings to see something, anything to hold onto. But he was being thrown around so fast that everything became a blur to him.

Deciding to try his luck after seeing a brown blur that looked like a tree, Markus stabbed down with Wavebreaker, which was now fire-free thanks to the wind.

Feeling his sword dig into something, and also feel his arms almost being pulled out of their sockets, Markus held onto Wavebreaker as the wind tried to drag him away. But he held on as if his life depended on it. Which it did.

After a couple of minutes of not suffering from cold slicing winds, Markus was free from the small tornado that swept him away. He looked up to see Wavebreaker stuck into the bark of a tree. Unfortunately because of gravity, he fell down, his sword out of his hands.

He had the pleasure of landing hard on his ass. He groaned, feeling very dizzy. Suddenly, his reflexes were screaming at him to move, which he did. However, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the ice lance that lodged itself into his arm.

He yelped in pain as the cold weapon dug into his arm, the cold freezing his blood and skin. Markus looked up to see Khione nearby, smirking at him superiorly.

"It was fun, Markus Henderson. You lasted surprisingly long for a nuisance such as yourself. But now you die!" she yelled, her arms outstretched. Suddenly ice started to creep up Markus' legs, slowly starting from his shoes, then up to his shins. He could feel the biting cold now, numbing him instantly.

Markus was trying to come up with a plan. He had no weapon, and no time to cast any spells. He was injured in one of his arms and was slowly being turned into a popsicle. He tried to think of a solution when one came to him.

Closing his eyes, he tried controlling the water in the ice. He concentrated, but nothing happened. he could still feel the cold creeping up to his calves, almost to his waist. He couldn't feel anything below his waist now.

Khione laughed seeing this. "Are you so desperate that you're willing to pray? It's too late, Markus Henderson. The cold won't stop! You'll soon be turned into an ice statue that I'll crush with glee!"

Ignoring the goddess' words, Markus imagined a very tiny river in his mind. He moved this image from his head to the ice surrounding him. It sounded weird, but Markus became desperate. He imagined that this river was frozen solid. Then slowly, he started turning the ice to water in his mind. He didn't feel any change, but he didn't care. Maybe it was anger at his situation. Maybe he was growing angry at Khione's mocking words. He didn't know. But his rage kept rising. And he gladly used that rage to try to free himself.

Soon, he could feel droplets of water running down his legs. Then the droplets became a small stream. He looked down to see that the ice that coated his legs had now turned to water. He didn't get wet, but he could feel the water against his clothes and skin. It now started to pool at his feet. He took out the ice lance from the wound on his arm, which was slowly closing from the brief contact of water. He held the lance in his hands, ignoring the biting cold that he felt. He tried turning it into water, using the same method that he used earlier. Soon, the ice lance turned into a water lance, Markus using his control to keep maintaining the shape of the weapon.

He grinned, looking up to see Khione's surprised face. "Surprise, bitch!" he yelled, turning slightly and throwing the water lance towards Khione. Despite his poor skill in archery, his aim was true as it headed towards Khione, who managed to break out of her stupor and turn the attack into ice, though she didn't send it back at him. "Don't think you've accomplished anything!" she shrieked. "You still can't defeat me!"

Markus smirked in return. "We'll see about that." He jumped, plucking Wavebreaker from the tree. He stabbed the sword into the ground and held both hands out, this time casting the spell that would be useful in this situation. " _Stella Inspiratione_!" he yelled, a large ball of light shooting towards Khione, who was blinded by the attack. She tried to dodge, but it was futile. The attack hit her, causing her to scream in agony, louder than when he'd struck her with a flaming Wavebreaker. A loud explosion occured, smoke obscuring the area for a moment.

Using that distraction, he quickly wrote water runes on the ground. Then he pointed his hands towards the ground. "Vερό!"he yelled, causing geysers of water to erupt from the ground. He looked to see that the smoke had cleared slightly, and he could see Khione's infuriated expression.

Her dress was torn and burnt in several places. Her pale skin looked lobster red, with third degree burns on her body. Small droplets of ichor bled down from a large gash on her arm. Her face was contorted in sheer rage. Not annoyance, but actual rage. She shrieked in fury, her eyes diluting into slits so sharp she looked like a serpent.

"Damn you, boy! Damn you, damn you, DAMN YOU!" she roared.

Markus responded the only way he knew how. "Hey, it's not so bad. You look much better without that 'Ice Bitch' facade. Want me to turn up the heat even more?"

She screamed in anger. She swept her arms, still managing to conjure some small ice swords. Markus raised his hands, making the water rise and spread across the ground, wetting it. Concentration heavily, he attempted to turn the the water on the ground into ice, imagining a small river freezing slightly, until it was frozen solid. The water on the ground turned into ice quickly, creating an ice floor.

Grabbing Wavebreaker, he dashed towards the incoming projectiles, crouching low and sliding across the floor like a baseball player. He slid quickly, like he was on a slide. The ice projectiles flew overhead as he slid under them. Stabbing Wavebreaker into the ice, he stopped his movement, his arm feeling like it was ripped out of his socket. Channelling earthquake energy into his fist, he struck the ground, making a large crater where he'd punched the ground.

The ground shifted a bit, rumbling a little like a small earthquake was occuring. Khione stumbled a little, unbalanced because of the tremor.

That was what Markus needed. Quickly standing up, he dashed towards the goddess, his sword alight with flames from the Φωτιά rune on it. When he reached her, Markus stabbed forward, the flaming sword pierced the goddess through the chest.

Khione looked shocked, as if she couldn't register the pain she was in. And then she screamed, even louder than before. Then she slowly turned into a shower of gold dust, the same way monsters disappeared when they were killed.

Markus panted, the flames extinguishing from his sword. He fell to the ground, landing on his ass in exhaustion. Damn, he was tired. Who knew trying to locate a fucking book could lead up to this.

Markus was about to lie down on the ground and rest when he remembered that the two brothers were still there. Turning his head slightly, he could see the both of them staying in the same place, their jaws slack in disbelief. Markus raised his eyebrow. "Well? Do you want to end up like her?" he asked, pointing to the remains of gold dust on the floor that was slowly fading.

The two brothers stared at the gold dust, then looked back to Markus. Then they flew away, their wings flapping frantically, trying to get away.

Markus sighed in relief, his head resting on the ground. That last part was a bluff, as he couldn't really move right much about now. At least he got something out of this trip. He was able to perform battle magic in an actual battle, and see the results. Not to mention that he learned how to control ice! He was happy to gain a new power. He wondered what else he could do.

But that was a thought for later. Turning Wavebreaker into a figurine on his keychain, he grabbed the stone with the magic circle of Hecate, and was promptly teleported home.

 **Whew! That was quite a chapter!**

 **Hello to you all! Good to write to you on this story! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
**

 **So here, we saw the lifestyle Markus lived in, learned about his fatal flaws (if you didn't already figure them out, well shame on you), saw my first magic fight, Markus learning how to use ice and a fight with Khione the snow goddess. Yippee!  
**

 **Hope you enjoyed the fight. The reason that Markus mainly won the fight was because Khione underestimated him, as do gods when fighting mortals. Plus he well trained now, learning magic and all that.**

 **Question: do you want Markus to learn necromancy? I would say no, since he might dip into Hades' territory, and may kill him because of that (I'm being realistic. A son of Poseidon learning death magic? Hades will not be happy). But I'll see what I can do. Let me know in the reviews.**

 **I may do one more 'development' chapter for Markus, then it's back to canon with the Sea of Monsters! Something I'm not too eager to write since it's not my favourite book. But hopefully I'll spice it up.**

 **Oh, and next chapter we also see our first Hindu god. Which I did promise will make appearances.**

 **Thank you. Read and Review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

"Keep at it, brat!" Ryūjin shouted, overseeing Markus' progress at using the water. The god and demigod were in the Shinano River in Honshu, around the Japanese Alps. The reason why both of them were in Japan in the first place was because Ryūjin resided here, and Markus contacted him using the dragon pendant the god had given him. Markus asked him for help in water control, and Ryūjin was more than happy to help. The reason why he even agreed to help him was because Ryūjin wanted to prove something to himself. Something about 'the son of a Greek sea whelp needs a Shinto god's help', or something like that.

Ever since his encounter with Khione, Markus trained with the use of his new ice powers. It was hard, because he was so used to using water that when he turned it to ice he instinctively changed it back to water. But he was getting better at using the new element. Once he got the hang of it, it became surprisingly easy to change the ice into different shapes. It was the same kind of control he had with water, only different structures...

Curious about any more powers that he might have, he contacted Ryūjin for guidance. Getting help from a sea god about using water seemed pretty smart. For the next couple of weeks, he had been getting tips from the dragon god on how to manipulate water. Thankfully, Hecate hadn't contacted him for any new quests since his retrieval of the Holding of Shadows. He wouldn't know how to explain to the magic goddess about where he went.

A small fist of water to the face interrupted Markus' train of thought, as he stumbled, a little surprised. "Keep your focus, whelp," Ryūjin commented, a smirk on his face. The dragon god was wearing pretty much the same outfit he had when Markus had first met him, a T-shirt and shorts. The only difference was that he didn't have the straw hat he wore. His reddish-orange hair went past his shoulders and reached the top of his spine.

Markus scowled. "You didn't have to hit me with water, you scaly old man." He promptly ducked to avoid a jet of pressurised water that would've hit his head. It wouldn't hurt, being a son of Poseidon. But the force would send him flying far from the river. It had happened to him before, and he did not want to deal with that again.

Ryūjin scowled, his draconic features adding to his expression and making him look like a snake that ate a mouse too big for it. Markus didn't dare say that aloud though. "You disrespectful little shit," he growled. "I should kick your ass off these mountains for your cheek."

"Yeah, but if you did that, then you couldn't go with your objective of training a son of Poseidon to be good so it would reflect on you," Markus countered. "Plus, it's not wrong." Markus had to jump to avoid a giant fist of water aimed for him. While in mid-air, he used the water from the river to form a small platform to stand on. This was one of the first tricks Ryūjin had taught him with water. He said that it was good for concentration and skill. Plus it was cool for parlour tricks as well.

As Markus stood on his water platform, he felt it shift rapidly, as if struggling to stay together. He knew that Ryūjin was overpowering his control on using the water. And was quickly winning.

As the water platform fell apart, Markus quickly constructed it to form a small slide. He then turned it to ice to make it more solid. He slid down the slide, enjoying the small ride that he had made. His joy was short-lived as several ice spikes jutted up from the slide. Thinking quickly, he made a small bump that was curved enough to form a mini slide on the bigger one. He used that to slide off the slide, narrowly avoiding the incoming ice spikes. As he was approaching the water, a small whirlpool formed underneath him, trying to trap him.

Knowing that he couldn't wrestle the water out of the dragon god's control, instead Markus used the water from the river to form a water sphere around himself, protecting him from the worst of the whirlpool. He still went swirling around left, right and centre. He dropped to the the river, his water sphere breaking because there was no point in holding it once he reached the water. As he broke the surface, Markus was quickly enveloped by a cocoon of water. Markus struggled, trying to escape by trying to control the water surrounding him, but Ryūjin's control of water surpassed his. He couldn't get out.

The dragon god came up to him, smirking. "Still all talk and no action, brat," he said mockingly, making Markus growl. Without any gesture, Markus was released form his water cocoon, making him drop into the river. He came up from the river, glaring at the god, who was still smirking.

"Don't blame me for your loss," Ryūjin said. "Instead, get stronger. Get smarter. Isn't that the reason you came to me?"

Markus scowled. "You're a god. A sea god to be exact. How the hell am I supposed to beat you at your element?"

Ryūjin rolled his eyes. "Isn't that the same thought process you had against Ares? Against Khione? Stop whining about your opponent being stronger than you. It's not going to get you anywhere. And as for beating me at my element: so what? You're a son of a sea god. A pathetic one, sure. But it still counts. You could use the river to aid you in so many different ways."

"Like what?" Markus asked curiously. How else was he supposed to manipulate the water?

"Well, for one thing, you could turn the water in the river into steam, so you could take away my vision," the god explained. "It wouldn't do much good against me, but it would still be something. You could also try to manipulate the water in blood, for example."

"Blood?" Markus queried. How was he supposed to manipulate blood? He was a son of the sea god. How was he supposed to... Oh.

"I see that you get it," Ryūjin said upon seeing Markus' expression. "70% of the human body is made up of water. Some of that attributes to blood. Imagine if you could control all that. All that power at your fingertips. You wouldn't even have to attack your enemies. Just a small gesture and they become your puppets."

Markus had to admit, he was a bit tempted when he heard Ryūjin's explanation. One of his fatal flaws was acting up, and he was hooked. Imagine the power...

Then Markus had a curious expression on his face. "Wait. If it's possible for me to achieve that kind of control, then why haven't previous children of Poseidon discovered it? I kind of doubt that I or Percy would be any different from the rest."

Ryūjin shrugged. "I don't know. I don't follow your pantheon's track record with their children. But I guess it's because they never figured it out before. Guess your lucky that you had me to help you realize this, huh?"

Markus scoffed. "Yeah, I guess so. Lucky me." And with that, he was freed from the water cocoon, dropping into the river and quickly reaching the surface.

Ryūjin's expression turned from joking to serious. "Enough talk, brat. You want to get stronger, then you have to work for it."

And with that, the demigod's torture/training continued.

 **XXX**

Markus was walking down the streets of Manhattan, just near Long Island. He had just finished visiting Percy and Sally, who seemed to be fine since Gabe had left. Apparently Percy had applied to Meriwether Prep, a school Markus didn't know about nor cared about. But he was happy that his brother was doing well in school. Well, not well, since he did have some trouble with his dyslexia and ADHD, and not to mention the bullies that he faced. But other than that, Percy seemed to be doing fine. And Markus was happy about that.

When he went to Percy's apartment, he found Sally at home. She was the one who told Markus how Percy was doing and what school he attended. She even asked how Markus was since she had last seen him, and Markus had told her that he was doing fine on his own. He didn't mention his encounter with Khione, his quest from Hecate nor his occasional meetings with Ryūjin. He didn't really want Sally to worry about another kid. Though her worry brought a warm feeling to Markus' chest whenever she asked about how he was doing.

Markus also learned that Sally was inspiring to become an author. She hadn't released any books yet, but she was busy drafting ideas for her first book. Markus offered him her support and luck as well. He wanted to offer her some money that he received from an ATM with the help of his LotusCash card to help her endeavours, but she refused. When asked why, she just said that while the offer was appealing, she wanted to make do on her on, rather than rely on someone else for help. Markus insisted, but she kept refusing. Markus could admire that about her. Now Markus knew where Percy got his stubborn streak from.

Thinking about Percy going to school made Markus wonder about his own situation with school. Or lack there of. He'd never even been to school. To some, that might have been a blessing, but to him it was just sad. He couldn't even get a shred of normality. As much as it did suck to be homeless and losing his mother, not going to school was probably one of the things that Markus yearned for. Yes, there was the normal school drama that he would have to deal with. And he would also have to deal with homework, bullies, teachers and all of that. But having normality wasn't a bad thing. Even with all the magic and the monsters and gods that he faced and knew about, he also wanted a piece of normality for himself. But he guessed that was too much to ask for. Besides, even if he did go to school, he would probably be behind most of the students. And his dyslexia wouldn't help him at all.

As he continued walking the streets, he saw a group of homeless people, lying in dirty blankets and holding out baskets for loose change. Several pedestrians passed them without even sparing them a glance. Seeing this, Markus felt slightly nostalgic. A couple of months ago, he was the same as them, all dirty and homeless and poor. Now he had more money than he could want, a fancy apartment, and all new kinds of stuff. And all it took was being attack by a monster on the street.

But these people didn't have that luxury. As lucky as they were to not have deal with monsters and gods, they still had to deal with poverty. It was kind of unfair, how his situation was changed and theirs wasn't. Deciding to change that, Markus walked up to the homeless men and put several hundred dollar notes in their baskets, surprising them and passing pedestrians. Ignoring their shocked faces, Markus nodded to them, a smile on his face. "Good luck." And with that he walked off, using the Mist to make the passing pedestrians blink and suddenly forget about what had transpired.

Markus did this because he didn't want anyone to bother him just because he had a large sum of money. He did feel sympathy for the homeless people, because he could relate with them, but he wasn't about to deal with muggers and robbers.

As he walked down the street, he passed a sign for martial art classes. Markus stopped and looked closely, seeing that it was for taekwondo. Markus had never really seen martial arts in action before, so he was curious. It got him thinking: what if he learnt martial arts? He never bothered with hand-to-hand combat, as he wasn't interested in it before. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to fight monsters with his fists. But then he realised that it would be useful. If he lost his sword, what then? Sure he had magic and his demigod powers, but what if the enemy was faster than him? How was he going to defend himself? Maybe martial arts might not help against some monsters, but that didn't mean all monsters. Besides, it was better that if he was unarmed, he could at least know how to hold his own. It would also be helpful as training.

Smiling, Markus walked into the store to enquire about the taekwondo classes.

 **XXX**

Markus watched in glee as he watched the taekwondo teacher show different stances.

Two days ago, he had enquired about the taekwondo classes. He was able to get into contact with the instructor, a nineteen year old girl named Amy. She was holding taekwondo classes as a college project. She earned money while also teaching young people about taekwondo.

When Markus had asked, she was skeptical, since he didn't have any parent to go and ask for him. Thankfully, Markus was able to say that he was an orphan living with his aunt. When Amy asked for a phone number, he gave her the flat's reception number. Probably wasn't ideal, but it was something. Thankfully, she didn't ask too many questions. All she said was that she needed the money and for him to be in the next day with a fighting gi that could be bought in a shop. He paid her, and came in the next day, uniform ready.

When he first came here, he saw students of different ages: some the same age as him, some seventeen or a little older, and some around ten. It seems Amy took on people of different ages.

The first lesson Amy taught was basically her showing the class how to perform punches and kicks. A little simple but she said that sometimes the basics helped. She also said that starting off early with complicated techniques wouldn't help anyone. Markus could attest to that, remembering his magical lessons with Alabaster and how he acted at first.

Now on the second lesson, she was showing off punches and kicks, but also teaching the classes about different stances, like the 'Four-Directional Punches'. This was a stance where she basically turned around in four directions and did the same pose **(A.N. - I took taekwondo classes, and this was what I was taught).**

As Markus copied the stances, he felt stupid. He knew that he had to be patient so could learn more, but it was _sooo_ boring! He almost felt like he was going to fall asleep! Amy showed off some more punches and kicks, but by that time, Markus was already feeling bored.

At the end of the lesson, when the rest of the students were leaving, Markus stayed back. He knew what he was about to do was a little arrogant, be he wanted to learn as quickly as possible. He couldn't be practising stances on monsters and other enemies. While he wasn't eager to be a black belt, he did want to be proficient in hand-to-hand combat. So he wanted to learn as quickly as possible. A little plan formed in his mind and he started to put it into play.

As every student but him left, Amy looked towards him, confused. "Oh, did you need something, Markus?" she asked. Markus looked up at her, getting a good look at her features. She had long black hair that she tied into a ponytail during classes. She was wearing a fighting gi that had several badges on it. On her waist was a black belt, signifying her skill at taekwondo. Her feet were bare, and surprisingly small for a girl her age. She wore glasses on her face that she sometimes hung on her front, giving her a slightly nerdy look that Markus found cute. Discretely looking at her body, he blushed slightly. He was still a young boy experiencing puberty, but he still wasn't used to looking at girls in _that_ way. But even he could admit that Amy was pretty hot.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he looked towards the instructor, who looked confused. Deciding to go with his plan, he asked, "Uh, Amy. Do you... uh, mind if I... uh, skip ahead on the lessons, since I kind of know how to fight a little?"

Amy blinked, then frowned. "Markus, I know you're new, but that doesn't mean that you can just demand to skip ahead. There are people older than you who have problems with these lessons. What makes you think I'm going to excuse you?"

"I know, I know," Markus said, raising his hands to placate her. "I'm not saying to teach me advanced stuff. Just, you know, a few tricks. Like disarming a person or something."

Amy's frown lessened but still remained. "Even still, that kind of stuff would take you weeks, if not months to learn properly. Using them efficiently is a whole different thing altogether."

"I'm a quick learner," Markus insisted. "Besides, I have a little wager for you."

"Oh?" Amy's eyebrows raised in curiosity. "And what is it?"

"We have a small spar, no restrictions," Markus explained. "Well, maybe for you, since you're older and more experienced than me, but still come on strong. If I win, you agree to teach me a little more than what's normally taught. If you win, I'll continue as I am, and I won't ask about this again. Deal?"

"And why should I agree to this?" Amy questioned, hands on her hips. "I still don't think you're ready for that kind of stuff."

"It won't matter if I lose," Markus said, shrugging. "Besides, you're way more experienced than me in fighting. What do you have to lose?"

Amy sighed in reluctance. "Fine. If it'll help pop your fat head." With that, she followed him onto the sparring mat. Both of them stood at the end of the mat, getting into position. Amy didn't bother with a fighting stance, clearly dismissing this as unimpressive.

That was about to change.

As Markus got ready, he mentally went over several spars that he had. In terms of pure fighting speed and skill, images of fights with Luke and Ares flashed into his mind, though he did it with great reluctance, since he hated both of them for different reasons.

Luke was very good with a sword, so speed was a necessity as a sword user. He was older, stronger and faster than Markus currently was. But this wasn't a sword battle. So he had to make due with what he was able to recall.

With Ares it was different. He had Percy to back him up, as well as the aid of his water boost. Something he didn't have at the moment. And he doubted Amy would allow him a quick dash to the water dispenser. So he had to improvise.

He also had his battle-reflexes as a demigod to rely on, which was a huge help in previous battles.

As he studied his opponent, he could see the tensing of Amy's muscles. He could see her feet angling slightly, indicating where she was going to go, and how she was going to react. Her posture was relaxed, however. She clearly underestimated him. Well, he was going to change that.

Amy decided to make the first move. She slightly dashed towards Markus, arms raised, muscles tensing slightly. She was fast, but compared to Luke or even one of the Ares campers, she was slightly slow. Which he was thankful for. Markus rolled, ducking under her legs and rolling coming into a crouch. Running forward, he tried to sweep Amy's feet from under her. But she moved backwards quickly, avoiding his sweep. She lashed out with a kick, not too much power contained in it. Markus dodged slightly, seeing the move and evading it. He was _really_ thankful for his demigod reflexes. They had saved his ass multiple times.

He grabbed the outstretched leg, holding onto it and not letting go. Amy, surprised by his strength, tried to go for a punch, but Markus twisted, still holding onto the leg and making Amy adjust her footing. He punched her leg hard, making her slightly wince. Then he dropped the leg and reached out quickly, taking advantage of Amy's small lapse in attention. Instead of going for a punch, he quickly swiped her glasses off her face.

Amy yelled out, in surprise or anger, Markus wasn't sure, and brought her hands forwards, trying to reach and grab her glasses back, but Markus moved backwards slightly. Dropping her glasses at the edge of the mat, he lashed out with a jab to her sides. Amy winced, disoriented by her loss of her glasses and the attack. She lowered her knees slightly, but didn't drop to her knees. Markus took advantage of that by lashing out with a side turning kick to her temple.

Amy's head snapped to the side, then her body followed afterwards. She landed on the mat, not gravely injured but still reeling in shock and pain. Markus reached out, grabbing her hand and twisting it slightly, getting her to yelp in pain. He planted his foot on the top of her shoulder blades, pinning her slightl to the ground but not with too much force.

"Yield?" Markus asked. Amy was twisting and turning, and Markus was struggling slightly to hold onto her. She was older and stronger than him, after all. But after a while, she stopped and sighed heavily. "Fine. I can't really do much without my glasses anyway. You win. Now get the hell off of me!"

Markus quickly got off of her, disengaging his hold on her and letting her get up. She grabbed for air and Markus realised that she was searching for her glasses. He reached the edge of the mat and picked them up, putting them into her hands.

She put them on, then promptly glared at Markus. "You cheated," she said with a large scowl on her face.

Markus shook his head. "No, I used your weakness to my advantage," he countered, pointing to her glasses. "Besides, it was your fault for underestimating me."

Amy kept on scowling heavily to Markus, but after a moment she sighed, dropping her glare. "Fine. I admit, that was clever."

"So you'll let me skip ahead a little?" Markus asked eagerly. Amy didn't look like she agreed, but she sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll teach you only a few advanced techniques. But remember, if you misuse them, I won't teach you anything. Understand?"

Markus nodded. Amy then smiled sweetly, getting him to shudder slightly. "Your first technique: the speed of dodging." And from then on, Markus experienced physical torture.

 **XXX**

Markus groaned as he entered his apartment dropped his schoolbag onto the floor.

He scowled. He just _had_ to agree with himself to go to school. It'd be fun, he told himself. He could experience normality he'd said. If he could go back in time, he'd kick himself a thousand times for his stupidity.

Just _why_ did he haveb to agree to go to school? It was torture! Markus had never went to school, so he didn't know the hell that he had unleashed on himself. He could have stayed blissfully ignorant of the trials that came with school and just enjoy his new freedom. But no. He had to grow a need to be _normal._ He just had to agree with himself to go to school to enjoy his childhood.

Markus was regretting that decision with every fibre of his being.

His school was called Abbeyville International School, which was a ten minute walk from his apartment. So that was convenient.

It wasn't a bad school. Markus just didn't enjoy going to school.

First, he had to deal with his dyslexia acting up in class whenever he was asked a question. When he tried to explain the situation, the teacher would just scold him while the other students laughed at him. He became pissed, but decided to suck it up and try to deal with it. Thankfully, he managed to practice reading different kinds of texts to get his dyslexia under control only slightly. It still didn't help, however.

Seeing this, several boys who thought they were hot shit tried to bully him because of his dyslexia, which didn't work out so well for them. They tried insulting him, so he insulted them back twice as hard. They tried to attack him, so Markus defended himself, leaving the bullies beaten black and blue. Some teachers tried to raise a fuss about it, but Markus claimed that it was all in self defence, and that he had several witnesses.

Whenever he got a question wrong because of his dyslexia, the teachers would usually mock him slightly in front of the class. So Markus retaliated by pranking the hell out of them. All it took was several bags of feathers, super glue, itching powder and duct tape. The result was that some of them ran around the school frantically, covered in feathers and scratching themselves endlessly. It got so bad that some of them had to be sent to the hospital for the trauma experienced by this. The Hermes cabin would be proud.

At some points, he had to deal with detention, which completely sucked. And he couldn't use the Mist, because _someone_ decided that using the Mist on mortals to his advantage was irresponsible. Stupid magic goddess.

And then there was the homework! Seriously, coursework was bad enough. Now he had to deal with the same thing at home! In his sanctum! Truly, the evils of school knew no bounds.

And then he had to deal with taekwondo classes as well as additional classes after school. Amy kept true to her promise, and showed Markus several practice and advanced moves after each lesson. Though she was eager to test each one out on him. Which resulted in him lying on the mat each time the technique was performed, writhing in pain. Guess she was a little bitter about being beat by a thirteen year old boy. Thank the gods that he could heal with water afterwards.

Amy commented that Markus was a quick learner, which he was glad about. The normal lessons progressed slowly, but the after lessons advanced pretty quickly. He wasn't advancing onto a new belt soon, but he was learning quickly. He learned how to disarm a person easily and keep them in a choke hold, as well as deflect any attack sent by them away from him. Markus wondered if he could mix in the attacks with his earthquake powers, and he salivated at the thought. Imagine the destructive power!

While he was being taught taekwondo, he learned that they also taught kendo lessons at the dojo as well. When Markus asked Amy about it, she said that another teacher taught kendo for beginners. Once she explained how it went and what went on inside the class, Markus was eager to join. It would be a good chance to keep his sword skills sharp. Plus it'd be cool to learn something other than Greek sword styles. He could probably mix the two arts together in combat for devastating effect.

When he asked Amy about it, she said he could join, but that it was extremely taxing. Markus remained confident, saying that he knew his way around a sword. Amy was worried, but still asked on his behalf.

When he joined the kendo class, he was introduced to his new instructor who was called Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto **(A.N. - No relation to Yamamoto from Bleach. I just thought the guy was so cool that I just had to add him).**

Apparently, he wasn't as easygoing as Amy was. He was strict and demanding. His lessons included him fighting against the students themselves, attacking them and calling out mistakes that were made and how they could be improved.

He said that when they were in the dojo, they should refer to him as Yamamoto-sensei. Markus could see that the guy was old and experienced. He had a long, flowing white beard, with a bald head and an old wizened face. He had a few battle scars around his face. For kendo, the students wore a similar fighting gi that was used in taekwondo, only longer and in black.

From the few times that he had sparred with the old man, he could tell that he was very skilled with a blade. His wrists still hurt from previous clashes. Markus knew his way around a sword (or a kendo stick, in this case). It was smaller and lighter than Wavebreaker, but that didn't bother him. Learning a completely new different style for swordplay was another thing.

Instead of holding his sword with one hand, with a kendo stick he was meant to hold it with both hands. Only a kendo master could use one hand. Instead of swinging his sword and stabbing, Markus was meant to use swift strikes that clashed against the opposing blade, as well as using complex disarming methods to disarm his opponent.

It was tough and demanding, but Markus managed to grasp what he was being taught rather quickly. Yamamoto even complimented him and said that he was one of the few students he had that grasped the subject quickly. Markus beamed with pride at that... right before Yamamoto humbled him with an ass-kicking.

The training from kendo as well as from taekwondo kept Markus' skills in good shape. His sword skills were improving in addition to his new kendo skills, and his practice with taekwondo kept his build lean and fit.

Occasionally he had to deal with several monsters who were attracted to his scent. It wasn't anything big, just some cyclopes, dracanae, hellhounds, etc. It was great practice for his kendo skills. He didn't get too much loot from them, just the occasional leather pelts from the cyclopes, which he had no idea what to do with.

And on top of all that, he had to deal with learning magic. Markus loved learning new magic, but it became so much of a hassle that it overworked him at times. He didn't even get the chance to play his game consoles or read his manga at certain times!

Markus quickly jumped onto his couch, eager to just lay down and relax. Just one tiny nap. Maybe with an ice-cream sund-

"Hello, Markus."

... God fucking damn it! He just had to be interrupted the moment he was about to relax! Why could he never catch a break here?!

Markus turned to look at Hecate, who was standing in the kitchen of his apartment. Seriously, does this goddess ever knock?!

"Do you ever knock?" Markus asked tiredly, repeating his thoughts. He was sick of meeting gods already during his break from camp. First Hecate and now Khione? Couldn't he just deal with monsters? It'd be so much more simple.

Hecate raised an eyebrow. Instead of wearing modern clothing, she now wore robes and had her hair done Ancient Greek style. On her feet there were sandals. She even had a staff in her hand. Was it magical? Or merely for fashion purposes. "It is good to see you too, Markus Henderson."

"Likewise," Markus muttered sarcastically. "So, what's with the get up? Going for role playing somewhere?"

Hecate's expression didn't change. She didn't look angry or happy. Markus wondered whether she was secretly pissed at him. He wouldn't blame her.

When she spoke, her voice was even. "And to think that I came for your benefit. If you simply do not wish me to be here then maybe-"

Markus sighed. "No, no. There's no need for that." While all he wanted to do was to send the goddess away and relax, if she came for his benefit then it had to be for something good. He wasn't going to miss this chance. Suddenly the sound of sleep went away from his mind.

Hecate smiled seeing this. "I see I have caught your attention. That is good. I have an offer for you."

Markus raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "And what is this 'offer'?"

Hecate didn't say anything for a minute. Markus was going to ask again when she spoke. "As you know, I am the goddess of magic, the Mist. But I am also the goddess of crossroads. Decisions made by people, the choices that they decide. That is my domain. This, however, doesn't relate to just internal matters. Places where people meet, to get together, to converse at a certain junction, where they meet at one point. That also fall under my domain."

Markus didn't interrupt the goddess. She wouldn't explain something that he already knew if it wasn't for a point.

Hecate continued. "Gatherings that involves magical beings, or disciples and champions of different gods like you and your mother, are also part of my domain. Many of these beings use these gatherings as celebrations and meetings for important figures."

Markus thought about it for a moment, then spoke. "So, basically, festivals with magical and supernatural beings take place, and you have a hand in it."

Hecate nodded. "A bit crude, but yes."

Markus thought about it, but something was still nagging at him. "And you want me to go because..."

Hecate rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Markus Henderson. Are you so simple-minded that you can't see the opportunities laid before you?" Before Markus could retort, the goddess continued speaking. "You can use this chance to converse with others like yourself. Learn more magic. Gain more experience and knowledge. Learning new spells is well and fine, but it is better to converse about it with masters of the magical arts who have more knowledge and power than you do."

Markus blinked. That was a good idea. A very good idea. Learning from people stronger and more knowledgeable than him sounded very good. Plus, he could use this as a chance for a vacation. He didn't really mind missing a day of school. In fact he welcomed it. But one thing caught his attention. "Wait, didn't you warn me about-"

"Your fatal flaw, greed?" Hecate interrupted, a knowing look in her face. "I know I did. But at the same time, you can turn your weakness into your strength. Wanting to gain power isn't a bad thing, but only if it's in moderation. Remember, Markus: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts completely."

Markus nodded, taking the goddess' words in. If her words were going to save him from his fatal flaw, then he was going listen.

"Besides," Hecate said. "You are my disciple. While not the same as my champion, you represent me. It would not be good for one taught by me to be weak, in mind or in power."

 _Of course,_ Markus thought sarcastically. _That's probably the only reason you care for my progress. Even if you actually didn't teach me._ But he didn't say that out loud.

The demigod sighed. "So when do I go?"

Hecate shrugged. "The offer is open to you any time. But do not dawdle. While you are in no danger, it is best to remain cautious. Going into an unknown area without suspicion is foolhardy."

 _Of course it's always danger,_ Markus thought bitterly. Then he brightened. _On the plus side, I get a vacaction!_

 **XXX**

Markus was happily walking down the grounds of the large campsite that Hecate directed him towards. Well, he said campsite, but it was actually the size of two large football stadiums packed together.

He was in an area that was far from Long Island. Markus didn't know exactly where the area was, since the magical fields and shields protected the place, as well as a large illusion was placed over the place. Markus didn't know if it was using the Mist, or some other type of sunstance.

Wherever he looked, he could see pitched tents, open bars and even different carnival games set up. Though instead of ring toss or strength tests, there was contests for troll wrestling, goblin-sniping, and even stands for foods that looked totally different from normal foods. Markus even swore that there was an eyeball swimming somewhere in the soup.

Markus overheard a conversation from two robed men. Apparently they were thinking of doing trade in Spellhaven. He assumed that was the name of the place that he was in.

As Markus walked down the campgrounds, he could see beings of different sizes and races: trolls, elves, normal looking humans. Though they were probably sorcerers and sorceresses. It was a surreal experience for Markus, like something out of a fantasy novel. Even with the idea of mythology being real, with the Greek and newly revealed Shinto pantheons that he dealt with, here it made all of that seem pale in comparison to this place. This was something like in Dungeons and Dragons. Or maybe Game of Thrones.

Markus was looking like a kid in a candy store. He could feel the ambient magic in the air around the place. It was like the entire area was covered in magic, which it actually was. He got so distracted and so fascinated that he accidentally bumped into someone. Markus snapped out of his daze as he looked at the person that he bumped into, which was actually a monster. Not the monsters from Greek mythology, but a different kind of... creature. It had green skin, with large tusks and a large bulk. He made cyclopes look like babies in comparison. It wore a white tunic that barely held its physique, as well as a loincloth. It was barefoot, with its giant feet looking like oversized flippers. It had tiny bat wings on its back that were too small for its body. Markus wondered how it could manage to fly. The creature also had small eyes that narrowed as it looked down on the demigod.

He wasn't a monster, just... something. He didn't look like anything Markus had seen before. And Markus was slightly scared. He would've drawn Wavebreaker if a fight broke out, except he wasn't sure a fight was allowed in Spellhaven. And it was kind of his fault. "Uh, sorry," Markus got out, snapping out of his inspection of the creature.

The creature grunted, looking more annoyed than angry. Instead of saying or doing anything agressive, it just walked past Markus, its tiny wings flapping uselessly.

"Huh," Markus said after a moment, looking back at the creature. "Weird."

Markus turned back to his general direction, looking at different stores. He eventually settled down at a particular bar, displaying a menu stand. It was written in a language that Markus didn't know. It definitely wasn't Greek or Latin. Hell, it probably wasn't even in any language Markus knew of.

As he entered the bar, he could see several creatures like trolls and, presumably, goblins. Markus guessed this because of their long ears, sharp teeth and light green skin. As Markus sat down at a table, he looked at a menu that seemed to be in the same language as the menu bar outside. He sighed and dropped the menu, making to leave the bar. He ignored the brawl between several goblins and trolls as they destroyed tables, stools, and included several other creatures.

The demigod continued to look at several different stores, wanting to find a magical store. He encountered quite a few, some were selling different talismans. Others sold several magic tomes that had unique magic in them, only it was about stuff like necromancy and soul magic, something he was hesitant to dwell on. Other stores had different charms available. Markus was interested in them, but only bought a few because the seller kept trying to rip him off.

All in all, he was enjoying his experience here. It was a bit rough, but he quite liked Spellhaven. At least the stuff here was worthy of buying.

As Markus continued to wander about, he spotted a large tent where he could rest for a minute and get something to eat. As he entered, he saw different kind of creatures and people: trolls, goblins, sorcerers, elves (Markus guessed they were elves), and other mythical creatures that he couldn't see. But he didn't care about that at the moment. He walked deep inside the bar, ignoring the reason why the tent was bigger on the inside than on the outside (magic, duh!). He managed to find a seat at the table, next to a tall man.

The man was handsome, with blond hair, broad shoulders and massive arms, like he spent his whole life lifting weights. He was wearing what looked like a robe, though it looked worn out and dirty. Markus wandered why a man with looks like his was wearing a cloth like that.

Seeing no other place to sit, Markus sat down next to the man, waiting for the waiter to come so he could order food. He listened to the roar of the crowd surrounding him when the man suddenly spoke up. "So, what's a kid like you doing in a place like this?"

His voice was rich and smooth, like velvet. He sounded amused, as if a kid coming to a bar was a kind of joke. Markus turned to address the man when he noticed that his eyes were gold. Like, 24-carat gold. Markus immediately knew that this wasn't an ordinary man.

He decided to answer the man's question. "Just wanted to come out for a break." A waiter came to their table. He looked human, but Markus guessed he was a possible sorcerer. Or something else. When he pulled out a notepad and asked for orders, Markus replied, "Just water." The man didn't say anything. The waiter just nodded his head and walked to get the order.

The man chuckled. Even that had a cultured tone to it, as if he practised trying to laugh smoothly. "Nobody just comes here for a break. Spellhaven's usually for people interested in something. And I can tell that you're interested in something."

Instead of responding to his sentence, Markus decided to talk about something else. "You know, it's kind of awkward talking to someone I don't know. Can I get a name?"

The man smiled, though there was no humour behind it. "Names have power, kid. I thought a demigod like you would know that."

Markus didn't react to the man's words. He already knew that he wasn't normal, so it was no surprise when he already knew he was a demigod. Markus just wandered as to who, or what, this man was.

"Although," the mysterious man continued. "I do wonder why a Greek whelp like yourself found yourself here. I thought that your kind occupied that crappy camp in Long Island."

While he wasn't surprised about him knowing that he was a Greek demigod, he did show surprise that he knew where Camp Half-Blood was. "How did-"

"-I know where your little camp was?" the man, no, being, finished for him. "It's not like it's hidden very well. That pesky Mist of yours has no effect on beings like me."

"Are you a god?" Markus asked straight away. Then he asked again. "Which pantheon are you alligned with?" He knew that he was a god, it just was a matter of which pantheon he was from. Markus was slowly getting used to meeting other gods that weren't Greek.

"Oh?" the now revealed god raised an eyebrow. "Guess you aren't so slow after all. Thank Aditi that I'm not dealing with a clueless godling."

Markus had no idea who Aditi was, as it didn't give any clue as to which god he was. He just waited for the god to explain himself. It was usually for gods to brag or monologue about themselves or about how they were so much better than you, regardless of which pantheon they were from.

The god straightened. "I am Savitr, Hindu god of motion. It's nice to meet you, Markus Henderson."

Markus had no idea about what the Hindu gods were like, since he had never read or met them before. However, he had to be cautious. Unlike Ryūjin, who gave off a lazy vibe even when he first met him, this god seemed the type to get offended easily. He had a dignified air around him, as if he were royalty.

Markus bowed his head slightly. "Lord Savitr," he said loudly, though with the roar of the crowd he wasn't sure his voice was heard. While he was never respectful to most gods that he met, this was a different god. He wasn't from the Greek pantheon, meaning he didn't know anything about him. So now was the time to be respectful or else he was going to get smote.

Savitr laughed lightly. "While it is good to see a respectful Greek, there's no need for titles. I'm not picky about these things. Unless you piss me off, I'm not going to strike you down or anything. Though, I do welcome any praise given."

Markus nodded, though that didn't mean he was any less tense. "So... why is a god out here in a magical community?"

Savitr shrugged. "I got bored. Plus, these gatherings of you magical folk are so entertaining. Fighting, gambling, trading. It's like Nandana, only more fragile and less hectic."

The waiter came with Markus' glass of water. He took it, muttering, "Thanks." He was just about to come up with an excuse to not having any money when Savitr waved his hand, causing the waiter to be blank-faced. He stood stiff, like a statue, then turned around and walked away.

"Do all gods do that?" Markus asked, mentally going over his encounters with other gods who controlled mortals before.

Savitr shrugged. "It's really a matter of if we want to do it or not. But that's not important. Tell me kid, you ever read Hindu mythology?"

"Uh, no?"

"Well, you should, considering that we are more important than your Olympians. I say this because of that fact that we have more devout worshippers than your measly gods have."

"You really don't like the Greeks, do you?" Markus asked. Ryūjin was the same. Then again, he just hated Poseidon, he never commented about the other Greek gods.

Savitr sighed, then looked at Markus. "No, I don't. In fact, many pantheons don't like the Olympians. Mainly because of their arrogance. Although I can't speak for all Greeks, Zeus is really the only one who's displayed such arrogance, thinking that he is more superior than us just because Olympus is centered in New York and considers that an advantage over the rest of us."

Markus nodded in agreement to that. After meeting Zeus, the asshole, he could see why Savitr, and other gods, thought that.

"But I'm not here to talk about my problems with your gods," Savitr said. "I'm more interested in _you."_

"And why would you be interested in me?" Markus asked. "I'm just a demigod."

"Sure you are, but that's the thing. You're a Greek demigod, out of his gods' territory. That's not only something odd, that's something to take advantage of."

And suddenly, Markus feared for his well being. He wasn't planning on playing to the strings of others.

Savitr rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop being so tense. I just said that it can be used to my advantage, but I didn't say anything about me taking advantage of you."

"That doesn't reassure me," Markus muttered, making the god laugh loudly.

"That's good, boy. That's good. Being cautious makes you live longer. But on an unrelated note, I just want to ask you something."

"And what's that?"

Savitr grinned, and suddenly Markus' tension came back. "How would you like a deal made with a god, boy? You dabble in magic, right? So you know about rituals and the sort."

Markus' mouth felt suddenly dry. He knew that Savitr had a hidden motive. He knew that there was another reason for Savitr to talk to him. He wanted to ignore it, to walk away and look for another shop. But there were some factors to consider. First. walking out on a god was probably not a good idea. They might take offence and smite the person or do some other horrible act that Markus definitely didn't want to deal with. And second, a voice in his head. A small, barely noticeable voice in his head that was egging him on, goading him into accepting the deal. The prize being more power, more strength. Markus knew that voice. It was his greed speaking, his want and lust for more power. It started out as a voice in his head.

And then it became a hunger, a desire. He wasn't just curious, he wanted to hear the deal Savitr had for him, to know whether it could grant him power or not. The truth was, while he was happy he was growing stronger in terms of his demigod, magical and physical capabilities, he wanted more. He wanted more power for himself. He hungered for it. His greed wasn't just a thought in his head, it was an obsession now. It was a shout, a roar of defiance to his logical side. Markus knew that listening to and accepting the god's deal would be more trouble than good. He was reminding himself about the words Hecate told him about his fatal flaw.

But his desire became too great, and he ignored his logical side of thinking. He turned to the god. "What is it that you want?"

Savitr's smile turned into a grin. "Now you're talking, kid. It's nothing harmful. Just me giving you my blessing."

"And what would your blessing entitle?" Markus asked, not even bothering to make it sound convincing or humble. If Savitr noticed, he didn't care.

"Well, since I am the god of motion, you would be able to use and control kinetic energy, the energy allowing objects and people to move. Using this, you could do a numver of things, such as move at faster speeds than you currently can. I would tell you more , but I'm sure that you could figure it out yourself. Of course, your control over kinetic energy would be limited. It wouldn't be as strong as mine, obviously, or someone with a stronger connection to me than you, but it would still be damn useful."

Markus was thinking about what he was told. While he didn't cover energy in science lessons in school, he knew that control over kinetic energy would be advantageous. He could think of a number of ways in which he could use it to his advantage, such as increasing his movement in combat and in swordplay. But as much as Markus' greed consumed him, a small rational part of his mind stayed. That rational part was telling him to ask for more information. "What's the catch?"

"No catch, kid," Savitr said, shrugging. "All I'm giving you is my blessing. I'm not trying to take or give anything else to you. If I was, you'd know."

"And why do you want to give me your blessing?"

"Because it spices things up. Come on, a Greek kid using a blessing from a Hindu god. Where have you seen that before? I'm honestly bored. I haven't had anything to do. Being the lord of all that is mobile and stationary is so dull. Things have been so... stationary, you know? I prefer things that are moving in mobility. You can give me that, brat. This can be some sort of test run."

Markus looked at him with a deadpan look. "... Your humour is just awful," he said, causing Savitr to pout like a child. Then the demigod sighed. "Okay. I'll agree. But first, I want to ask. What's the most important vow in Hindu mythology?"

"Uh, swearing on the Hindu Trimurti, I guess. Why?"

"Markus didn't know what the Trimurti was, nor did he care. But he had what he needed. "I want you to swear on the Trimurti that if I gain your blessing, you will not take advantage of me in anyway, unless you have something for me that will benefit me, and I must know about it."

As soon as he made his declaration, Savitr lost his smile and good humour. His golden eyes narrowed against Markus' defiant sea green eyes. "Kid, are you sure you know what you are asking me? You're asking me to swear on the Trimurti, the three strongest gods of the Hindu pantheon. Do you understand the seriousness of this vow?"

Markus nodded. "I do. It's just to make sure that you understand that, while I'm eager to receive your power, I'm not going to just blindly accept your blessing without going over the repercussions of this decision."

Sharp golden eyes continued to stare down sea green eyes. The stare down between god and demigod continued for a moment, until Savitr broke it by shrugging nonchalantly. "Well, at least you have a brain on you. Fine, you paranoid brat. I swear on the Trimurti that I do not plan to take advantage of you in anyway, unless it benefits you. I will also let you know about it firsthand."

As soon as he finished his vow, there was thunder in the sky. But this wasn't normal thunder. It wasn't Zeus' thunder, nor the thunder ususally made when an oath on the Styx was sworn. This thunder was louder, and more ominous. Suddenly Markus wondered if making the god swear on the Trimurti was a good idea.

Savitr looked indifferent, as if what just happened wouldn't worry him. "There. I've made the vow. Now take my blessing, ungrateful little shit."

With that, the god put his hand on the demigod's shoulder, and suddenly Markus felt a rush of power enter him. He could now feel something different. His senses went haywire, as if they increased so much. He could somehow feel the movement of different objects, like sonar for underwater hunting. It was hard to explain, but Markus was trying to get the grasp of his new powers.

"There," Savitr said. "See? No harm done. You won't regret it, brat."

"Hopefully, I won't," Markus said, agreeing with the god.

 **And that's a wrap! Good God, that was a long ass chapter to write. Finally done!**

 **So in this one, we saw Markus go to taekwondo classes, get lessons from Ryūjin in using water (as well as tips on powers that he'll gain later on), school life, kendo and a meeting with Savitr, the Hindu god of motion.**

 **The reason I used Savitr for the godly meeting is because since he was the god of motion, kinetic energy could be used in a numerous amount of ways. Plus, I kind of got inspired by watching The Flash TV show. ... What? Don't judge me. Oh, and just a reminder. There will be uses and references of the Flash, both from the TV show and the comics. Why? I love the Flash, sue me.**

 **So Markus has gained a new power that will eventually lead to super speed later on. The reason I didn't simply make Hermes make Markus his champion or something to gain this power is because I wanted to try and use something different, rather than rely on the Greek pantheon. I wanted to widen my range of pantheons in the story. Not too many, just a couple.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter as well as the story. And thank you for those who favourited, followed, revi- you know what? Screw it. There's no point writing the same thing in almost every chapter. You guys already know what I'm going to say. So I'm just going to say thank you.**

 **Next chapter will be the start of the Sea of Monsters book. Wish me luck, as it's not my favourite book and I might change it quite a bit. Oh well.**

 **Read and Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21:**

Markus finished playing his Saints Row marathon and was happily watching the credits roll.

He got into the game when he came unto the game title online while he was surfing the Internet. At first, he didn't think much of it. Now, he was enjoying playing the game while eagerly eating an ice-cream sundae.

He had invested a lot of time in his gaming. He usually played classic games on the Xbox 360, either action-adventure games, hack-and-slash games, or even platform games sometimes. His fascination ( _not_ an addiction) was slowly turning him into a typical teenage gamer. If it weren't for the fact that he was a demigod that was training, he would be a classic introvert. Add his reading and watching manga and anime into the mix and he worried that he would never leave his home.

Normally he would be swamped with homework and kendo/taekwondo training, along with magic, but two of those problems were already solved. Firstly, it was the summer, and school was ending. Markus was over the roof with that one. Finally, no more stupid exams and homework where he didn't have to suffer much from his now weakening dyslexia. Plus, he was also glad to be going back to camp, but the end of school was more important.

As for his training classes, Amy was closing the dojo due to her travelling for the holidays. For the final class, she tested each student on their performance so they could move up a belt. She was happy with almost everyone's performance, even Markus'. Sure, he convinced her to teach him more advanced stuff, but still.

He was also happy with his progress in martial arts. While he was no master, he was able to handle himself in a fight just fine now. He knew when to dodge, how to block and deflect attacks properly, how to punch properly, etc. However, what he wasn't happy about was his small progress. Even if he did move up a belt, he received a yellow tag instead. Which indicated that while he was above a white belt, he was also below a yellow belt as well **(A.N. - Again, if anyone thinks differently, this was the way I was shown and taught).**

All his hard work, and all he had to show for it was a fucking piece of cloth. A fucking strip. Markus was so furious at that one.

At least he was slightly happy with his kendo progress. Yamamoto was a slave driver, but he was a great teacher. He taught Markus' class so much about the art of kendo and techniques that he was thrown for a loop. Thanks to him, Markus was able to implement his Greek sword style with his kendo training. The combination of Western and Eastern sword styles created a devastating combo that Markus was happy about. Yamamoto was so impressed with his skills that he was initially graded as a 1st Kyu, whatever that meant. Then upgraded to a 1st Dan **(A.N. - If I got the grading wrong, I'm sorry. I assume that 1st Kyu in kendo is the lowest rank, and then 1st Dan onwards leads to the highest rank. Again, sorry if I made a** **mistake)**. Markus' swordplay was even more stronger if he applied kinetic energy also.

That got him to stop thinking on his progress and instead thought about his meeting with Savitr months ago. He took a pen off of the table nearest to him, and looked at it. He concentrated on the new power he had received, thinking of increasing the movement of the environment around him. Then he transferred that energy to the pen, making it vibrate slightly. Markus could feel the molecules of the object vibrate at a high speed, and he threw the pen slightly. However, because of his transferring energy to the pen, it flew sharply, piercing the wall opposite to him and sticking there, creating a hole similar in shape and size to the ones surrounding it on the wall.

His control over kinetic energy and its uses had increased largely as he trained with it. It was similar to water control, only instead of feeling a tug in his gut when he controlled water, he felt his insides moving fast. Like, really fast. It was an uncomfortable feeling for him, but he got used to it. After reading his science textbook, he learned more about energy in general. And then read about kinetic energy. It was basically the energy that allowed objects and people to move. Applying it to real life was a whole new thing. Learning the study of energy and water was pretty much the only thing that Markus was good at in school. Everything else he didn't care about.

While this power was awesome, he still knew there would be drawbacks. Making a deal with Savitr was foolish, and he knew that. Dealing with an unknown god wasn't wise, because he didn't know about his behaviour, his actions, etc. And he knew that the god wanted him for something, otherwise he wouldn't offer the deal. And he refused to play to someone like a puppet. It was why he made Savitr swear that oath in the first place, so that he wouldn't be a pawn to an unknown god.

After his meeting with the god, Markus read up on any Hindu mythology that he could online. From what he had read, Savitr was supposed to be benevolent deity, who watched over the world, monitoring all those that were mobile and stationary. While he maybe was all those things, Markus still didn't believe that after meeting him. Gods tended to be different from the myths that he read, or were exactly as portrayed. The myths said that Ares was honourable. He could tell that was false having met the god.

While his decision was rash and stupid, he couldn't deny the results. He just wished that he wasn't so impulsive. To solve this, Markus insisted on meditating, which was something Yamamoto suggest during classes. While training your body was nice and well, training your mind and spirit was very beneficial. It somewhat helped with his anger problems, which he knew he had, and helped him calm his ADHD. Only a little bit though.

Markus got off from his couch and was about to pack his stuff for Camp Half-Blood. Maybe he could visit Percy and Sally while he was at it.

Before he could do that, though, he heard a ripple like noise come from behind him. Reacting quickly, Markus drew water from a jug of water near him that he kept around for practising or training. He formed it into a spear, turned it into ice in the blink of an eye and then mentally commanded it to shoot towards the intruder. The spear passed harmless through the Iris message that appeared in the middle of his home. Upon seeing who it was contacting him, Markus smiled.

"Chiron," he nodded, greeting the trainer of heroes.

The centaur smiled. "Markus, my boy. It is good to see you again. I didn't know you could control ice. I hear you must've been busy during your break from camp."

"Uh... yeah," Markus nodded. He wondered whether Chiron was talking about his encounter with Khione, or maybe his trip to Spellhaven. He decided not to mention them for now, as well as his ability to control ice. "I have, yeah. Anyway, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Here, Chiron's face turned grave. Markus guessed that this was serious. "I must ask a difficult task of you which I know you will not follow through with. But I feel that I must ask anyway."

"What is it?" Markus asked, dread building in his stomach.

"I must ask that you and your brother must stay away from Camp Half-Blood this year."

Markus blinked, and then blinked again. Finally, he responded naturally. "WHAT?!" He didn't know what Chiron was thinking, but he thought that old age was catching up to him.

"I know what you must be thinking but it would be in Percy's best interest and yours to stay away from camp this year. Things have not been right at camp in the last few months and I fear it won't be safe for much longer."

Markus immediately shook his head. "Nope. No way, Chiron. Percy thinks of camp as his own home. I do too. There's no way anything's stopping us from going to camp."

Chiron sighed deeply and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. The look on his face showed he was not surprised that Markus refused. Though the boy had to admit that looking at Chiron now, the old centaur was beginning to look his age.

Markus noticed the bags under his eyes, a few cuts and scrapes could be seen on his arms and overall he just looked exhausted. Markus wondered what was going on at camp that had Chiron look the way he is now.

"I had a feeling you might say that but it was worth a shot. Then all I ask is that you try to keep Percy safe. Be by his side and protect him. Not only that, look after yourself."

"You don't even need to tell me that, Chiron," Markus stated. "I'll protect Percy and I'll manage to look after myself."

"That's all that I ask," Chiron said, smiling a little. It looked as if the confirmation released several loads on his back. Well, horse back.

Then Markus turned serious. "Chiron, what is going on? And don't give me any watered down version. What has happened at camp that got you looking so exhausted?"

Chiron hesitated. Markus immediately knew that he wasn't going to tell him"I can't tell you all the details since it is something that is best told face to face."

The boy scowled. He didn't like details that concerned his well being to be kept from him. Especially if it concerned his brother as well.

"However I will inform you that the magical barriers are not as strong as they were last year and we have had a fair few incidents where monsters have found a way through and into camp. We just stopped a couple of hell hounds from ripping down the Apollo cabin an hour ago."

Markus' eyes widened. The camp's barrier was weakened? That was impossible. Markus knew that the camp's magical barriers were dependent on Thalia's tree. If the barriers were weakened, then...

"Chiron," Markus asked. "What happened to Thalia's tree? What happened to it to make the barriers weak?"

Chiron hesitated again, and Markus' suspicions were confirmed. Something terrible had happened to Thalia's tree, and if it wasn't solved... No, Markus didn't want to think like that.

Now that he thought about it, more monsters had been appearing lately. Usually, Markus had to deal with the occasional hell hound that wandered too close to his home. Now he dealt with several cyclopes, dracanaes and even empousai, which were basically Greek vampires that served under his boss, Hecate. Markus planned to have a chat with the goddess about that one.

"I thought that hell hounds occasionally roamed around the Underworld, bar the one that appeared in camp last summer," Markus said. "Why are so many appearing now?"

"They should be but lately thing have been stirring in the Underworld. Or more precisely Tartarus. Many that dwell in the Underworld have made their way to the surface."

"Were they summoned?" Markus asked wearily. He knew that monsters were usually summoned by other beings. He scowled as he thought of Luke.

Chiron shook his head. "No. While many more monsters are appearing, there are too many to be controlled. If they were, they would attack specific targets or people. But now they are just attacking random demigods."

"And let me guess. Zeus is doing what he does best, aside from chasing women and throwing lightning bolts around, and ignoring the signs of Kronos rising?"

Chiron nodded, though he did appear nervous at Markus' choice of wording, even though it was true. "Yes Zeus is refusing to believe that Kronos is rising. Many of the other gods are trying to reason with him but he will not listen."

Markus rolled his eyes. "Typical," he muttered. "Signs of his father rising again and he acts like a child and chooses to ignore it. What a big baby." The sky boomed with thunder at his words. "Oh shut up, you know it's true. Zap me if you want, you're not making me change my mind or the truth," Markus said, pointing at the sky.

The sky boomed even louder, but Markus didn't flinch.

"Yes well until the gods can convince Zeus that Kronos truly is up to something since Luke has joined his cause, all we can do is act normally and get on with our daily routines."

Markus' eyes narrowed. "Uh, no. What we should be doing is ignoring Zeus and preparing for the worst. We should be making war plans, training our asses off, thinking of over a million contingency plans, anything. We can't just do nothing just because Zeus is blind!"

The sky boomed even louder with thunder. Markus just flipped the sky the bird. "Fuck you, too!"

"Markus, enough," Chiron stated seriously. This got Markus to focus on him again. "While I understand your concerns, and I readily agree with you, without Zeus' orders, we cannot make any preparation plans." Seeing Markus about to retort, he held up his hand. "However, that doesn't mean we will stand idle. I will do all I can to prepare the camp while you meet up with your brother. I anticipated that you would refuse my orders and so I sent someone to pick Percy up. You can rendezvous with her and go to camp together."

Markus nodded. Then picked up on what Chiron said. "Wait, her?" He grinned slightly. "Oh, I think I know who it is. Thanks, Chiron. I'll do that." He saluted the centaur before they bid each other a good bye and the Iris message shimmered and disappeared.

Shaking his head, Markus quickly changed into more suitable clothes, picking up his leather jacket and putting on his rune-enhanced sneakers. The reason that he put runes on his shoes was because he was going to use his powers to zoom to Percy's school. Markus figured out a while ago that he can use kinetic energy to move very quickly. When he tested these powers, he was awed. And slightly hurt, since every time he practiced, he ended up moving so fast that he crashed into a tree. Or a wall. Or even a car. Thank the gods for his water healing.

Anyway, when he finally managed to get the hang of his super speed, he noticed that every time he moved really fast, his shoes would burn up because of the high friction. So, he managed to solve that with runes. Writing 'αντιστέκομαι', meaning 'resist', and 'θερμότητα', meaning 'heat', in Greek together side by side made his shoes almost friction-proof. Which he was immediately thankful for. Though, he noticed that Greek runes weren't really good for conjunctions or more than one word.

What he meant was that runes in Greek were rigid and basic. Using more than one word and activating both at the same time was very hard to do simultaneously. Same with Latin. He would have to use different runes like Norse or Japanese to make it work properly.

But for now, he would make due with what he had. Grabbing a spare water bottle and putting it inside his jacket, along with some goggles, the type sports players use, he was ready to go. Exiting his apartment, he went to the ground floor and exited the building.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching him, he put on his goggles. He concentrated on the power that he received from the motion god, then gathered that energy around his body. And then he moved.

He didn't run. He _blitzed._ He _blurred._

Despite having done this before, he couldn't contain the shout of joy that he had. "Woohooo!"

As he ran, his legs were a blur, working overtime. His cheeks rippled, experiencing the G-force due to moving at fast speeds. His reflexes helped him dodge incoming cars and bikers as he sped forward, towards the destination of Percy's school. He didn't know how fast he was going **(A.N. - Right now he's travelling at 40 mph, which is over Usain Bolt's record of 28 mph, using kinetic energy. I think that's the speed of a small go kart, or something).**

Moving like this, he felt liberated. Like he could actually fly a little. Which was impossible, since his grouchy uncle would just zap him. But still... the experience was awesome. Markus was beginning to enjoy running almost as much as he did swimming. The wind rushed against his shielded eyes as his goggle protected him. While moving at such speed was dangerous, he was protected by his jacket, which was very durable, as well as his sneakers. However, he couldn't do anything about his jeans or his face. Which was why he brought the water to heal him from any frictional burns.

Markus ignored the small specs that started to beat against his skin as he ran, knowing that they were probably insects. He resisted the urge to wipe his face, knowing that doing so would probably distract him and cause him to skid off on the road painfully.

While Markus was enjoying his run, he suddenly felt bored. Like seriously bored. Sure, he was running really fast. But that didn't mean that his mind was moving at such speeds. Damn, Markus wished that he had brought an MP3 player or something. It would really help with his boredom.

Happy with his current speed, Markus decided to increase his speed even further using kinetic energy. His figure was nothing but a blur as he ran even faster, streaking through the streets of Manhattan and coming to Percy's school quickly, his ADHD helping him discern where he was heading and where to stop.

He braked to a stop as his shoes skidded across the grass outside of the school, heating it slightly and turning it black. Markus breathed out slightly, trying to calm down the ambient buzzing that he felt whenever he used his new powers. He shook his hand to get rid of the buzzing in his arm. Then he quickly brought out the water bottle in his jacket and splashed it on himself, healing himself on any burns on his face and legs as well as cleaning the specs of insects on his face.

He sighed, closing the bottle and looking over himself. He could tell that while his face and legs were healed, his jeans had become slightly ripped from his little run. Honestly, it didn't look that bad. It was kind of cool, actually.

Finished checking over himself, Markus looked around the area, checking to see if anyone had spotted him. But no. He was safe.

Markus was about to move into the school when he saw the air ripple out of the corner of his eye. Markus looked again, but the ripple disappeared.

Trying to sense where the mysterious source was, and to identify if it was a person or a monster, Markus spread out his senses. This wasn't his magical senses or his natural demigod senses. This was what he dubbed his 'water detecting'. It was basically him trying to sense the water in an area using his powers as a son of Poseidon. Not only could he control water, but he could also sense where the largest or smallest body of water was located if he concentrated hard enough. Continued use of this skill, as well as through training, he could sense the water running through a person: through their blood, their sweat, and embarrassing as it was, their piss.

He could use this to tell where a person was if they were hiding. Though he did have to take time to concentrate hard enough, which left him defenceless. Using his water detecting, he could tell where the person was. Looking in that direction, he smirked. "You can come out, Annie. I know where you are."

The air rippled again, followed by a huff of annoyance, and Annabeth Chase appeared out of her invisibility with her New York Yankees cap in her hand. She looked like she grew a little since Markus had last seen her, along with her hair growing out a few more inches. Nevertheless, she still had the same princess curls at the end.

She glared at him, her steely grey eyes making an intimidating image. However, Markus was already used to such a glare, and responded by giving a cheeky smile.

"How many times have I told you not to call me Annie?" she asked with bite in her voice. Markus just kept on smiling.

"Dunno. How many times have I called you Annie up till now, Annie?" he responded cheekily. If possible, her grey eyes narrowed even more. She lashed out with a punch. Using kinetic energy, because he wanted to show off, Markus dodged the punch before it could even come close to him. This made Annabeth blink at seeing him move at such speeds and caused her to trip and fall to the ground from her overextended punch plus her surprise. Markus just ended up laughing at her, making Annabeth scowl.

"Very funny, Squid Head. Now help me up!" Annabeth said angrily. Markus chuckled, helping her up. Annabeth dusted off her jeans, then proceeded to punch the boy in the shoulder. Markus laughed even more at seeing her clutch her hand slightly, since his jacket was harder than normal, as it acted as armour.

"So before you injure yourself even more, let's discuss on why your here," Markus said, turning a little serious. Annabeth nodded, matching his expression. Markus then proceeded to tell Annabeth what he had been told by Chiron. Annabeth nodded, looking as if she wasn't surprised by what she heard.

When he finished, Annabeth took a long breath. "Things aren't looking good, Markus. We don't know how, but someone poisoned the tree."

Markus looked taken aback by the information. "Poisoned? How?"

"We don't know. Chiron tried healing the tree but nothing seems to be working. The poison is old. Very old. We think it might have come from Tartarus." When she said the word 'Tartarus', she shivered slightly, which Markus didn't blame her for.

"Tartarus, huh?" Markus muttered. Wondering on who it was. A few seconds later, Markus came up with an idea on who it could be. More like a fact. "Could it be Luke?" he suggested. He watched Annabeth wince at the name slightly, but still nodded.

"It's a definite possibility. He knows the area but I just can't understand why he would do that. That tree is all we have left of Thalia and Luke cared for her greatly. He would never do something to harm her memory."

"With the way he is, I doubt he's thinking about all the good times he had in the past," Markus said, making Annabeth glare at him slightly, but she couldn't fault him on that.

"But that's not all. Over the past few months a lot of the unclaimed from the Hermes Cabin apparently began disappearing. During the night some of the wood nymphs claimed to see a group of demigods leave the camp with someone leading them. Though they never got a good look at who it was."

Markus thought about it for a moment, then immediately thought of the reason why. "He's using the unclaimed campers' bitterness at how their treated to his advantage. Getting them to join Kronos because of their resentment at being forgotten by their parents or not being seen as important." Annabeth nodded at this. Then she frowned at the situation they were in.

Seeing this, Markus reassured her. "Don't worry. I told Chiron about any problem that we might have, and he's seeing through with it. We're all going to need to get stronger. Me and Percy especially since I can tell Chiron's supposed 'prophecy' is about us." Annabeth nodded to this, but she looked guilty all of a sudden. Why was that?

"Anyway," Annabeth said, changing the subject. "We should probably get to the school and check on Percy." Markus nodded to this and was about to move when he thought of something. "Wait, you were watching Percy before I even got here. Does that mean that Annie is a little stalker?" he said, the last part a little teasingly.

Annabeth's face turned red and she spluttered a little. Markus laughed at this while she tried to swipe at him. "S-shut up!" she growled slightly, causing Markus to laugh at her even more.

"Aw, you look so cute when you're embarrassed," Markus teased. "Like a cute, little kitten. Want me to get some mil- OW!" His teasing was cut short as she kicked his shin. Hard.

Hopping on one foot and holding his shin in one hand, he glared at Annabeth who was still glaring at him. "Still want to make fun of me?" she threatened.

"Well, yes, obviously," Markus remarked. She was about to kick him again when he held up his hand. "However, we have to check up on my baby brother first. So we have to put this lover's quarrel on hold." Before she could retort, he stepped forward quickly, holding onto her, and zoomed to Percy's direction kinetic energy. Annabeth screamed while he held onto her.

 **XXX**

The two demigods watched Percy play dodge ball with a couple of other school kids. Both of them were using their respective items of clothing to go invisible The coach looked very old, and not really interested in On the opposing team, there dumb looking kids that Markus immediately labelled as jocks and bullies. Some of them even had their names stitched onto their T-shirts. How dumb could they be?

On Percy's team there were a couple of wimpy looking kids along with Percy. However, there was one big burly kid that looked more beefy than the dumbasses on the other team.

The kid looked big and stocky, as if he had one too many growth spurts when he was a kid, and this was the result. He had ratty brown hair and blue eyes. Markus' observation was almost finished until he noticed that his image flickered a bit. Markus' eyes widened as he concentrated on his sight, seeing that the boy's image ripple, until all that was left was a big, one-eyed monster that Markus was familiar with.

Markus gasped as Annabeth looked at him, alarmed. "What? What's wrong?"

Markus pointed to the large boy on Percy's group. "That boy is a cyclops."

"What?!" Annabeth exclaimed, alarmed.

Markus nodded. "Yeah. He's covered in Mist, but since I'm a disciple of Hecate, I can see through the Mist better than most demigods can."

"Then we have to take him out!" Annabeth stated, about to leap out and kill the monster until Markus put a hand in her way, stopping her. "What are you doing?!"

"Wait," Markus said. He was obviously alarmed, but managed to remain calm. "I don't think that it's set out to kill anyone."

"How could you say that?! It's a cyclops. Their monsters. They always want to kill!" Annabeth whispered sharply. She probably would've yelled out loud but she didn't want to blow their cover.

"Did you forget that Percy is there?" Markus countered. "He would obviously be able to see through the Mist and know that the cyclops is under a disguise. Have some faith in him."

"I think you're overestimating Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said.

"And I think you're underestimating him," Markus replied. "Sure, he isn't book smart, or smart in general, but I know he'll manage. I mean you can see him clearly now, can't you?"

Turning to the disguised monster, Annabeth squinted her eyes. "Yeah... I can see him somewhat."

"Exactly," Markus said, nodding. "So if you can see him, then Percy obviously can."

"... I feel slightly insulted by that statement?" she asked, slightly irritated.

"Maybe it's because I compared your level of awareness with Percy's?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. That's it."

They were about to continue talking but were interrupted by a loud scream. Both demigods turned to see that the dumb looking kids had grown in size. They were no longer kids. They were eight-foot-tall giants with wild eyes, pointy teeth, and hairy arms tattooed with snakes and hula women and Valentine hearts.

One of the normal looking kids dropped his ball. "Whoa! You're not from Detroit! Who ..."

The other kids on his team started screaming and back-ing toward the exit, but the giant named Marrow Sucker threw a ball with deadly accuracy. It streaked past one wimpy kid just as he was about to leave and hit the door, slamming it shut like magic. The rest of the other kids banged on it desperately but it wouldn't budge.

"Let them go!" Percy yelled at the giants.

The one called Joe Bob growled at him. He had a tattoo on his biceps that said: JB luvs Babycakes. "And lose our tasty morsels? No, Son of the Sea God. We Laistrygonians aren't just playing for your death. We want lunch!"

"... Well, he's boned," Markus muttered after a moment. Annabeth turned to glare at him. "Such faith you have in your brother. It's so touching," she said sarcastically, causing Markus to shrug.

He waved his hand and a new batch of dodgeballs appeared on the center line—but these balls weren't made of red rubber. They were bronze, the size of cannon balls, perforated like wiffle balls with fire bubbling out the holes. They must've been searing hot, but the giants picked them up with their bare hands.

"Why aren't we attacking yet?" Annabeth asked Markus.

"Because it's something called tough love," Markus muttered, crossing his arms.

"And you're content leaving him to fend on his own?" she asked, shocked.

Markus scoffed. "Of course not. But I don't plan to hold his hand for him all the time. He has to learn to fight for himself. I'll step in if things get out of hand, but he needs experience in this case."

Annabeth was about to retort, but was interrupted by a loud bang. Both teens looked over to see one giant named Skull Eater throw his ball. Percy dove aside as the fiery bronze comet sailed past his shoulder. "Corey!" He screamed to his nerd like teammate.

The disguised cyclops pulled him out from behind the exercise mat just as the ball exploded against it, blasting the mat to smoking shreds.

"Run!" Percy told his teammates. "The other exit!"

They ran for the locker room, but with another wave of Joe Bob's hand, that door also slammed shut. "No one leaves unless you're out!" Joe Bob roared. "And you're not out until we eat you!" He launched his own fireball. Percy's teammates scattered as it blasted a crater in the gym floor.

Percy looked like he was reaching for Riptide, which he usually kept in his pocket, but since they were in gym and he was wearing his gym clothes…well he didn't have pockets and that was a bit of a problem.

Another fireball came right for him, but the cyclops pushed Percy out of way, the explosion still blew the water boy head over heels. He found himself sprawled on the gym floor, dazed from smoke, his tie-dyed T-shirt peppered with sizzling holes. Just across the centre line, two hungry giants were glaring down at him.

"Flesh!" they bellowed. "Hero flesh for lunch!" They both took aim.

"Percy needs help!" the cyclops yelled, and he jumped in front of Percy just as they threw their balls.

"Tyson!" Percy screamed, but it was too late.

Both balls slammed into him, wait no ... he'd caught them. Somehow the cyclops named Tyson, had caught two fiery metal balls speeding toward him at a zillion miles an hour. Well it wasn't really surprising to the invisible demigods since they knew that cyclopes were fire-resistant. He sent them hurtling back toward their surprised owners, who screamed, "BAAAAAD!" as the bronze spheres exploded against their chests.

"Huh," Markus said after watching the display. "So the cyclops has a name."

Annabeth turned to him incredulously. " _That's_ what your concern is about?"

"No," Markus responded. "My concern was watching that awesome display! Holy shit, did you see that? That was badass!"

Annabeth looked at him for a moment, then palmed her face. "Boys," she muttered.

The giants disintegrated in twin columns of flame - a sure sign they were monsters, all right.

"My brothers!" Joe Bob the Cannibal wailed. He flexed his muscles and his Babycakes tattoo rippled. "You will pay for their destruction!"

"Tyson!" Percy said. "Look out!"

Another comet hurtled toward them. Tyson just had time to swat it aside. It flew straight over the coach's head and landed in the bleachers with a huge BOOM! Markus looked at the spectacle with a deadpanned expression. "How the hell does he not notice that?"

Kids were running around screaming, trying to avoid the sizzling craters in the floor. Others were banging on the door, calling for help. The main dumb kid stood petrified in the middle of the court, watching in disbelief as balls of death flew around him.

"Victory will be ours!" roared Joe Bob the Cannibal. "We will feast on your bones!" He and his friend all hefted those giant flaming balls and aimed for Percy and Tyson.

Markus watched as Percy told Tyson to move. He was impressed with the boy's dodging skill but he did have a few near misses. Then, when Tyson punched the one called Skull Eater, the giant went down pretty easily, however, another one of those balls came right at the tall kid.

The ball caught Tyson square in the chest. He slid the length of the court and slammed into the back wall, which cracked and partially crumbled on top of him, making a hole right onto Church Street. They couldn't see how Tyson could still be alive, but he only looked dazed. The bronze ball was smoking at his feet. Tyson tried to pick it up, but he fell back, stunned, into a pile of cinder blocks.

"Well!" Joe Bob gloated. "I'm the last one standing! I'll have enough meat to bring Babycakes a doggie bag!"

"You really need to learn how fight properly, baby brother," Markus voice rang out through the gym. He willed himself to turn visible, waving sat his brother and looking at the giant.

"Markus!" Percy called out. "What are you doing here?"

"To save your ass, what else?" Markus responded with a smirk.

"Who the hell are you?" Joe Bob roared.

Markus turned to glare at him. Without any movement, five swords appeared out of thin air, materialised by the Mist. They were immediately launched towards Joe Bob at high speeds, four of the swords piercing his limbs while the fifth one pierced his head, successfully killing him.

Joe Bob didn't even have time to scream. He immediately collapsed into gold dust.

Markus turned to Percy, as if he didn't just kill a monster so quickly. "So... how are things?"

Percy didn't answer, he was too busy gaping at the quick and brutal display. Markus snapped his fingers, getting Percy's attention. "Look, I know that I'm awesome and all, but can we please get back on track?"

Percy nodded shakily. "Y-yeah. Sure."

One of the dumb looking kids who'd been standing there dumbfounded the whole time, finally came to his senses. He blinked at Annabeth and Markus, as if he dimly recognized them. "Why does that guy look like you? ... And that's the girl-"

Annabeth punched him in the nose and knocked him flat. "And you," she told him, "lay off my friend." Markus just laughed at the scene.

The gym was in flames. Kids were still running around screaming. Percy heard sirens wailing and a garbled voice over the intercom. Through the glass windows of the exit doors, they could see one man, probably the headmaster, wrestling with the lock, a crowd of teachers piling up behind him.

"Annabeth, Markus ..." Percy stammered. "How did you ... how long have you ..."

"I got here, like, a couple minutes ago," Markus said. He pointed his thumb at Annabeth. "Dunno about her."

"Pretty much all morning." She sheathed her bronze knife. "I've been trying to find a good time to talk to you, but you were never alone."

Percy nodded, and then the word's Annabeth said caught up to him and his face grew red, "The shadow I saw this morning-that was-oh my gods, you were looking in my bed-room window?"

Markus roared in laughter at that as Annabeth punched his shoulder. Hard. Markus still kept on laughing.

"I didn't know you had a personal stalker, Percy," he said in between laughter. "Careful, hope you don't lose your virginity so soon."

"Shut up!" Annabeth yelled, red in the face. She'd given up on punching him since it didn't work. "There's no time to explain!" she snapped to Percy, though she still looked a little red-faced. "I just didn't want to-"

"There!" a woman screamed. The doors burst open and the adults came pouring in.

"Meet us outside," Annabeth told me. "And him." She pointed to Tyson, who was still sitting dazed against the wall. Annabeth gave him a look of distaste that Percy didn't quite understand. However, he didn't have to worry about Markus because he looked at Tyson with a little interest. "You'd better bring him."

"And I'd love to use the Mist to help you, but, I don't," Markus said cheekily, causing Percy's eyebrow to twitch.

"Hurry!" Annabeth said. With that, Markus grabbed Annabeth by the shoulder, and blurred away, making Percy blink in surprise. "What the hell?..." he muttered, before turning around to deal with the oncoming teachers.

 **XXX**

The duo appeared on Church Street to wait for their fellow demigod and his new friend. Soon, they saw the figure of Percy running to them in his gym clothes and riptide in pen form in his hands, followed by Tyson. "Okay, first off: mind telling me you have that there and he's _not_ attacking or trying to kill you?" Markus asked, pointing to Tyson.

Percy blinked. "Huh?" he accurately answered.

"You know what I mean," Markus said. When Percy continued to look confused, Markus blinked. "Wait, you don't know what he-or it- is?" he asked pointing to Tyson.

"Stop calling him an 'it'," Percy said, frowning. "And what the hell do you mean?"

Markus paused, then face palmed hard. "I-I can't believe it. I had such faith in you and-and you blew it. Fuck."

"I told you so," Annabeth stated with a holier-than-thou voice, smirking. Then she turned to Percy. "Where'd you find him?" Annabeth demanded, pointing at Tyson.

Percy knew he made his peace with the girl last year but glaring at his friend like she was doing was a little harsh. And he was wondering why his brother was calling Tyson an 'it'. "He's my friend," Percy told her.

"Is he homeless?"

"What does that have to do with anything? He can hear you, you know. Why don't you ask him?"

She looked surprised. "He can talk?"

"I talk," Tyson admitted. "You are pretty."

"Well, damn," Markus whistled. "He's practically harmless. Who knew?"

Percy looked confused as Annabeth screamed, "Ah! Gross!", stepping away from him as he tried to touch her hair.

Percy couldn't believe she was being so rude. He examined Tyson's hands, which he was sure must've been badly scorched by the flaming dodge balls, but they looked fine-grimy and scarred, with dirty fingernails the size of potato chips-but they always looked like that. "Tyson," He said in disbelief. "Your hands aren't even burned."

"Of course not," Annabeth muttered. "I'm surprised the Laistrygonians had the guts to attack you with him around." Tyson seemed fascinated by Annabeth's blond hair. He tried to touch it, but she smacked his hand away.

"Laistry-what?" both Markus and Percy asked.

"Laistrygonians. The monsters in the gym. They're a race of giant cannibals who live in the far north. Odysseus ran into them once, but I've never seen them as far south as New York before." she explained.

"Laistry-I can't even say that. What would you call them in English?" asked Percy.

She thought about what to call them for a moment. "Canadians," she decided. "Now come on, we have to get out of here."

"That sounds surprisingly racist," Markus mused. Then he said. "I don't think I can run to camp with all you guys. Especially him." He pointed to Tyson, who was looking at the demigods with wonder. His eyes - well, eye - locked onto Markus and stared at him, making Markus slightly uncomfortable. He didn't have a problem with the now docile cyclops, but he didn't know what he was doing here. And why was he here with Percy?

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to ask: how did you move so fast?" Percy asked, seeing him move quickly from before. Annabeth nodded, equally curious.

Markus shrugged. "Magic," he lied. He didn't want them to know about his blessing from Savitr, much less him having contact with gods that weren't Greek. Markus guessed that there were some rules about other pantheons meeting each other, and if the Greeks found out that he had contact with two different gods from different pantheons, he guessed that he would be in major trouble. So he decided to tell no one.

Annabeth's eyebrows raised in suspicion. "Really?" she asked skeptically. She wasn't a practitioner in magic like the children of Hecate or Markus, but she'd never seen magic being used like that before.

Markus nodded convincingly, ignoring her grey eyes watching him carefully. Damn, were they lie detectors or something? "Yeah. Specifically, speed magic."

Annabeth nodded slowly, as if she could sense that Markus was lying. He had no doubt that she would be curious about it and probably question him. She was just like that.

Percy's reaction was different, however. He had stars in his eyes as he looked at Markus. "Are you serious? That's so freaking cool! So you can move really fast? Like the Flash?"

Markus grinned, seeing that his brother knew his stuff. "Yep. Dunno how fast I can go, though."

Percy pouted. "That's so unfair. So you're basically like Aquaman and the Flash, then?"

Markus put a hand on his brother's shoulder, nodding slowly. "Do not worry, Aqualad. I shall turn you into the next Kid Flash. Then we will see who is the fastest man alive. Well, boy."

Percy scoffed. "No way. I'd be an awesome Reverse Flash."

"That would imply that you're actually a threat. I can kick your ass easily," Markus said, snorting in amusement.

"Oh, yeah? Bring it on, _wizard boy._ Going to 'Avada Kedavra' me also?"

"Really, a 'Harry Potter' reference? Nice try, Blue Boy. Better watch yourself before I hex you."

"Please, like you can."

"You bet your ass I can!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Bitch, ple-"

"Will the both of you shut up and focus?!" Annabeth yelled, interrupting the brothers in their banter.

Both boys blinked, then looked at each other. Then they both looked back to the blond. "Wow, Annabeth. You want the police, hell, the whole neighbourhood to find us here?" Percy said sarcastically.

"Yeah, Annabeth," Markus nodded in mock agreement. "Lower your voice down. You'll practically deafen at at this point."

Annabeth growled, looking as if she was going to strangle the two boys. Tyson just looked on, clapping his hands eagerly.

"We need to focus on the matter at hand," Annabeth said, after taking a deep breath. "We need to get to camp."

"The police'll be after me." Percy replied after calming down from his amusement.

"That's the least of our problems," she said. "Have you been having dreams?"

"The dreams ... about Grover?" Percy asked.

"Wait, wait," Markus said, holding up his hands. "What's this about Grover?"

"In my dream, I see Grover being chased in Florida by a giant… thing."

"What thing?" Markus asked, worried. "Like an actual giant or a monster or something?"

"I-I don't know," Percy said, unsure. "Wait. What were you dreaming about?" Percy suddenly asked the blond girl.

Her eyes looked stormy, like her mind was racing a million miles an hour. "Camp," she said at last. "Big trouble at camp."

"My mom was saying the same thing! But what kind of trouble?"

"I don't know the full thing. Something's wrong. We have to get there right away. Monsters have been chasing us all the way from Virginia, trying to stop me. Have you had a lot of attacks?"

Percy shook his head. "None all year ... until today."

"Me neither," Markus added.

"None? But how ..." Her eyes drifted to Tyson. "Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh'?" Percy asked, a bit annoyed at her answer.

"You seriously don't know what we're talking about?" Markus asked, exasperated.

Tyson raised his hand like he was still in class. "Canadians in the gym called Percy something ... Son of the Sea God?" At this, the three demigods exchanged looks.

Percy looked to Markus, who blinked before saying, "Don't look at me! He's your friend!"

"Big guy," Percy said, "You ever hear those old stories about the Greek gods? Like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena-"

"Yes," Tyson said.

"Well ... those gods are still alive. They kind of follow Western Civilization around, living in the strongest countries, so like now they're in the U.S. And sometimes they have kids with mortals. Kids called half-bloods."

"Yes," Tyson said, like he was still waiting for his friend to get to the point.

"Uh, well, Annabeth, Markus, and I are half-bloods," Percy said. "We're like ... heroes-in-training. And whenever monsters pick up our scent, they attack us. That's what those giants were in the gym. Monsters."

"Yes."

"So ... you believe me?" Percy said, a little put off that his tall friend was taking this all calmly and understood everything.

Tyson nodded. "But you are ... Son of the Sea God? Like him?" He pointed to Markus.

"Yeah," Percy admitted. "Our dad is Poseidon. We're brothers."

Tyson frowned. Now he looked confused. "But then ..."

A siren wailed. A police car raced past the alley.

"We don't have time for this," Annabeth said. "We'll talk in the taxi."

"A taxi all the way to camp?" Percy said. "You know how much money-"

"Trust me. Markus can't take all of us to camp. So this is the only way."

Percy hesitated. "What about Tyson?" He imagined escorting his giant friend into Camp Half-Blood. If he freaked out on a regular playground with regular bullies, how would he act at a training camp for demigods? On the other hand, the cops would be looking for us. "We can't just leave him," Percy decided. "He'll be in trouble, too."

Markus sighed, coming to a decision. "Then he can come with us."Annabeth did not look happy, but agreed none the less. Percy idly wondered why Annabeth was not happy about seeing Tyson, but he would worry about it later, right now they had to get out of here.

 **XXX**

"Here." Annabeth stopped us on the corner of Thomas and Trimble. She fished around in her backpack. "I hope I have one left."

"Have what?" Markus asked.

While the two demigods were conversing, Percy took the time to look at them….mostly at Annabeth. She looked even worse than he had realized at first. Her chin was cut. Twigs and grass were tangled in her ponytail, as if she'd slept several nights in the open. The slashes on the hems of her jeans looked suspiciously like claw marks. Markus didn't have any cuts. He suspected that it was because of his healing factor with water. His clothes looked fine, bar some rips in his jeans.

"What are you looking for?" Percy repeated Markus' question. All around them, sirens wailed. Percy figured it wouldn't be long before more cops cruised by, looking for juvenile delinquent gym-bombers. No doubt Matt Sloan had given them a statement by now. He'd probably twisted the story around so that Tyson and Percy were the bloodthirsty cannibals.

"Found one. Thank the gods." Annabeth pulled out a gold coin that they recognized as a drachma, the currency of Mount Olympus. It had Zeus's likeness stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other.

"Annabeth," Percy said, "New York taxi drivers won't take that."

"Stêthi," she shouted in Ancient Greek. "Ô hárma diabolês!"

Markus' eyebrow raised in surprise. "Chariot of Damnation?" he asked, though she didn't answer. She threw her coin into the street, but instead of clattering on the asphalt, the drachma sank right through and disappeared. Where the coin had fallen,the asphalt darkened. It melted into a rectangular pool about the size of a parking space-bubbling red liquid like blood. Then a car erupted from the ooze.

It was a taxi, all right, but unlike every other taxi in New York, it wasn't yellow. It was smoky gray. I mean it looked like it was woven out of smoke, like you could walk right through it. There were words printed on the door-something like GYAR SSIRES-but with their dyslexia made it hard for them to decipher what it said.

The passenger window rolled down, and an old woman stuck her head out. She had a mop of grizzled hair covering her eyes, and she spoke in a weird mumbling way, like she'd just had a shot of Novocain. "Passage? Passage?"

"Four to Camp Half-Blood." Annabeth said. She opened the cab's back door and waved at them to get in, like this was all completely normal.

"Ach!" the old woman screeched. "We don't take his kind!" She pointed a bony finger at Tyson.

"He's coming with us," Markus said firmly, his eyes narrowed. He didn't trust the cyclops but if he protected Percy from any monsters, then he was okay in his book.

"I'll pay you 4 more drachmas on arrival," Annabeth added.

"Done!" the woman screamed. Reluctantly, Percy got in, followed by Tyson, Naruto, and then Annabeth as the last one to get in.

The interior was also smoky gray, but it felt solid enough. The seat was cracked and lumpy, no different than most taxis. There was no Plexiglas screen separating us from the old lady driving ... Wait a minute. There wasn't just one old lady. There were three, all crammed in the front seat, each with stringy hair covering her eyes, bony hands, and a charcoal-colored sackcloth dress.

The one driving said, "Long Island! Out-of-metro fare bonus! Ha!"

"I don't think I'm going to enjoy this," Markus muttered in his squished position between Annabeth and Tyson. At least he was sitting next to a pretty girl.

The old hag floored the accelerator, and my head slammed against the backrest. A prerecorded voice came on over the speaker: Hi, this is Ganymede, cup-bearer to Zeus, and when I'm out buying wine for the Lord of the Skies, I always buckle up!"

The cab sped around the corner of West Broadway, and the grey lady sitting in the middle screeched, "Look out! Go left!"

"Well, if you'd give me the eye, Tempest, I could see that!" the driver complained.

Practically all the demigods were fearing for their safety. Just what the hell did they agree to? The driver swerved to avoid an oncoming delivery truck, ran over the curb with a jaw-rattling thump, and flew into the next block.

"Wasp!" the third lady said to the driver. "Give me the girl's coin! I want to bite it."

"You bit it last time, Anger!" said the driver, whose name must've been Wasp. "It's my turn!"

"Is not!" yelled the one called Anger.

The middle one, Tempest, screamed, "Red light!"

"Brake!" yelled Anger.

Instead, Wasp floored the accelerator and rode up on the curb, screeching around another corner, and knocking over a newspaper box. She left Percy's stomach somewhere back on Broome Street.

Markus held his hand to his mouth, feeling like he was going to puke. "I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered, cheeks bulging.

"Don't get it on me!" Annabeth screeched.

"Excuse me," Percy said to the old hags. "But ... can you see?"

"No!" screamed Wasp from behind the wheel.

"No!" screamed Tempest from the middle.

"Of course!" screamed Anger by the shotgun window.

Turning to Annabeth, who usually had all the answers, seeing Markus was trying not to hurl his lunch. "They're blind?"

"Not completely," Annabeth said. "They have an eye."

"One eye?"

"Yeah."

"Each?"

"No. One eye total."

"Not feel so good!" Tyson moaned out.

"I agree with you!" Markus groaned, hearing the conversation. Why did he agree to this? He'd prefer running with all three passengers on his back than this! If this was what it was like running at high speeds, then he wasn't sure if he wanted to try it.

The three grey ladies were too busy squabbling to pay them any attention. Percy looked over at Annabeth, who was hanging on for dear life, and he gave her a why-did-you-do-this-to-me look.

"Hey," she said, "Gray Sisters Taxi is the fastest way to camp."

"Bullshit!" Markus called out, glaring at Annabeth. "I probably could've ran the whole way easily. And my speed would at least be safer."

"Could you carry all of us at once and run?" Annabeth retorted.

"It'd still be better than going inside this fucking death trap!"

"Why didn't you take it from Virginia, then?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"That's outside their service area," she said, like that should be obvious. "They only serve Greater New York and surrounding communities."

"I would rather fly," Markus muttered at the back, feeling bile rush to his throat quickly.

"We've had famous people in this cab!" Anger exclaimed. "Jason! You remember him?"

"Don't remind me!" Wasp wailed. "And we didn't have a cab back then, you old bat. That was three thousand years ago!"

"Give me the tooth!" Anger tried to grab at Wasp's mouth, but Wasp swatted her hand away.

"Only if Tempest gives me the eye!"

"No!" Tempest screeched. "You had it yesterday!"

"But I'm driving, you old hag!"

"Excuses! Turn! That was your turn!"

"Will you three shut up and try to control this damn thing?!" Markus called from the back, still holding his bile.

"Mmmph. So rude, this one," Anger retorted.

Wasp swerved hard onto Delancey Street, squishing Percy between Tyson and the door. She punched the gas and we shot up the Williamsburg Bridge at seventy miles an hour.

Markus felt slightly nolstagic at his seeing his old camping site briefly. He probably would've felt more happy if he wasn't feeling like spewing his ice-cream sundae from his stomach.

The three sisters were fighting for real now, slapping each other as Anger tried to grab at Wasp's face and Wasp tried to grab at Tempest's. With their hair flying and their mouths open, screaming at each other, Percy and Markus realized that none of the sisters had any teeth except for Wasp, who had one mossy yellow incisor. Instead of eyes, they just had closed, sunken eyelids, except for Anger, who had one bloodshot green eye that stared at everything hungrily, as if it couldn't get enough of anything it saw.

Finally Anger, who had the advantage of sight, managed to yank the tooth out of her sister Wasp's mouth. This made Wasp so mad she swerved toward the edge of the Williamsburg Bridge, yelling, "'Ivit back! 'Ivit back!"

Tyson groaned and clutched his stomach.

"Uh, if anybody's interested," Percy said, "we're going to die!"

"Don't worry," Annabeth told them, sounding pretty worried. "The Gray Sisters know what they're doing. They're really very wise."

"Yes, wise!" Anger grinned in the rear view mirror, showing off her newly acquired tooth. "We know things!"

"Every street in Manhattan!" Wasp bragged, still hitting her sister. "The capital of Nepal!"

"The location you seek!" Tempest added.

Immediately her sisters pummeled her from either side, screaming, "Be quiet! Be quiet! They didn't even ask yet!"

"Are you sure they're wise?" Markus asked Annabeth. "Because, quite frankly, I find them bat shit insane."

"Just trust me!" She replied as the car swerved again and this time two demigods butt heads, screaming out in pain.

"What?" Percy said, asking what the Gray Sister meant. "What location? I'm not seeking any-"

"Nothing!" Tempest said. "You're right, boy. It's nothing!"

"Tell me."

"No!" they all screamed.

"The last time we told, it was horrible!" Tempest said.

"Eye tossed in a lake!" Anger agreed.

"Years to find it again!" Wasp moaned. "And speaking of that-give it back!"

"No!" yelled Anger.

"Eye!" Wasp yelled. "Gimme!"

She whacked her sister Anger on the back. There was a sickening pop and something flew out of Anger's face. Anger fumbled for it, trying to catch it, but she only managed to bat it with the back of her hand. The slimy green orb sailed over her shoulder, into the backseat, and straight into Percy's lap.

Said boy jumped so high at this in fright, that his head hit the ceiling as the eye fell on the floor.

"I can't see!" all three sisters yelled.

"Give me the eye!" Wasp wailed.

"Give her the eye!" Annabeth screamed.

"I don't have it!" Percy said.

"There, by your foot," Annabeth said. "Don't step on it! Get it!"

"I'm not picking that up!"

"Well someone pick it up or we'll crash!" Markus yelled.

The taxi slammed against the guardrail and skidded along with a horrible grinding noise. The whole car shuddered, billowing gray smoke as if it were about to dissolve from the strain.

"Going to be sick!" Tyson warned.

"Don't get it on me!" Markus yelled out.

"Annabeth," Percy yelled, "let Tyson use your backpack!"

"Are you crazy? Get the eye!"

Wasp yanked the wheel, and the taxi swerved away from the rail. We hurtled down the bridge toward Brooklyn, going faster than any human taxi. The Gray Sisters screeched and pummeled each other and cried out for their eye.

Seeing as Percy was too grossed out to pick up the damn eye, Markus decided to. "Screw it!" He reached over Tyson to get the eye ball off the ground.

"Nice boy!" Anger cried, as if she somehow knew he had her missing eye. "Give it back!"

"Not until you explain," Markus told her. "What were you talking about, the location he seeks? I'm curious."

"No time!" Tempest cried. "Accelerating!"

"Well, decelerate if you want your eye back!" he retorted.

The group looked out the window. Sure enough, trees and cars and whole neighborhoods were now zipping by in a grey blur. They were already out of Brooklyn, heading through the middle of Long Island.

"Markus, give them back the eye," Annabeth warned, "They can't find our destination without the eye. We'll just keep accelerating until we break into a million pieces."

"Not until they tell us what we need to know," Markus insisted, making Annabeth pale. "I didn't plan to go on this hellish ride and not get something out of it. Now tell us or my brother will throw out the eye."

"What? Why me?" Percy asked.

"Dunno," Markus shrugged.

"Make Annabeth do it!"

"Don't give that thing to me!" Annabeth shrieked.

"Wait!" the Gray Sisters screamed. "30, 31, 75, 12!" They belted it out like a quarterback calling a play.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked while Markus looked confused. "That makes no sense!"

"30, 31, 75, 12!" Anger wailed. "That's all we can tell you. Now give us the eye! Almost to camp!"

They were off the highway now, zipping through the countryside of northern Long Island. He could see Half-Blood Hill ahead of us, with its giant pine tree at the crest - Thalia's tree.

"Markus!" Annabeth screamed frantically. "Give them the eye now!"

"Ugh, fine," Markus replied, seeing as he wasn't going to get a better answer then that. He tossed the eye at the old hags, which landed in Wasp's lap.

The old lady snatched it up, pushed it into her eye socket like somebody putting in a contact lens, and blinked. "Whoa!"

She slammed on the brakes. The taxi spun four or five times in a cloud of smoke and squealed to a halt in the middle of the farm road at the base of Half-Blood Hill.

Tyson let loose a huge belch. "Better now."

"Thank the gods," Markus muttered thankfully. He didn't want to deal with that mess.

"All right," Percy told the Gray Sisters. "Now tell me what those numbers mean."

"No time!" Annabeth opened her door. "We have to get out now."

Percy looked at Annabeth with a confused looked on his face before he look outside and gasped. Markus looked shocked as he saw the mayhem.

At the crest of the hill was a group of campers. And they were under attack.

"We leave for one minute and this happens," Markus muttered sarcastically. He brought out a water bottle from his jacket, splashing himself with it. His earlier nausea faded away. With that, he jumped out of the cab, zooming down to meet the other campers.

 **Hello to you all! Another chapter uploaded!**

 **We're finally at the Sea of Monsters book. Thank God. I've been waiting for this. ... Well, not really, but you know what I mean.**

 **So, we met Tyson, saw Markus' new super speed and... yeah, those were pretty much the only exciting things that happened this chapter.**

 **If you guys have any questions about how fast Markus would be able to go, you'll see in the next chapters. I don't know if I'll make it light speed, but we'll see.**

 **And for the one called Guest, who left a review that I found interesting: I like your idea of copying Luffy's Second Gear using blood control and I'll try to integrate it. Sure, it may seem OP, but I don't care. This is my story.**

 **Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting the story! Luv you guys!**

 **Read and Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22:**

Percy, Annabeth and Tyson watched Markus rush forward at faster than normal speeds towards the two bronze bulls the size of elephants that were attacking camp. The two demigods had a lot going on in their heads, but their main concern was trying to save the camp.

As soon as they got out of the cab, the three Gray Sisters high-tailed it out of there. Neither one of them was sad to see them go.

Annabeth brought her knife while Percy brought out his pen and uncapped Riptide, turning it into a sword. They were about to charge into battle when Percy stopped, suddenly remembering something. "What is it?" Annabeth prompted urgently.

He turned to her. "What about Tyson? He can't fight."

Annabeth paused, breathed in deeply and breathed out through her nose, as if she was annoyed. Percy was confused on what she was so angry about, and waited for her to explain herself. He always did that when she knew something he didn't, and had to explain to him. "Percy," she said slowly, as if talking to a slow child. "We have bigger issues to deal with. Besides, Tyson can handle himself."

"But how would you know?" Percy insisted, confused on the supposed inside joke that she and his brother shared. Just what the hell was going on?

"Because I do. He'll be fine. Now let's go," Annabeth said.

Percy was about to argue again when Tyson clapped his hands loudly, drawing the duo's attention. They turned to see he was clapping in joy, as he looked at the scene taking place. "Look! Son of the Sea God punched bad bull in the face!"

Percy and Annabeth turned to the scene Tyson was pointing at to see what he said was true. Markus did punch one of the bronze bulls in the face.

 **XXX - While the two were talking - XXX**

As Markus ran towards the ten or so campers in need of aid, he could hear a gruff and familiar voice. "Border patrol, to me!"

Markus immediately recognised the voice of Clarisse, daughter of Ares. Instantly, he was skeptical on helping her. On one hand, she was one of the biggest bullies at Camp Half-Blood, and always pissed Markus, as well as Percy, off. Also, since him and Percy defeated her father last summer, he doubted that she would want his help. But on the other hand, while she was a bitch, as well as a pain in the ass, she was still a, ahem, _comrade._ Plus, Markus knew that Silena would be sad if Clarisse were to die, since he knew they were best friends. Why, he would never know.

Clarisse's fellow warriors were scattering, running in panic as the bulls charged. The grass was burning in huge swathes around the pine tree. One hero screamed and waved his arms as he ran in circles, the horse-hair plume on his helmet blazing. Clarisse's own armour was charred. She was fighting with a broken spear shaft, the other end embedded uselessly in the metal joint of one bull's shoulder.

As he ran at the bull that they were fighting, he channelled a large amount of earthquake energy into his right arm, making it vibrate heavily. He knew that punching the bull normally would break his hand, even if he used earthquake energy. But since he was running at high speeds, he predicted that the velocity would increase his attacking power.

Not wanting the others to get into the way, Markus yelled out, "INCOMING!"

The campers heard his shout, and looked to who it was, but Markus was running too quickly and too closely for them to see. Clarisse managed to save them, however. "Are you guys deaf?! MOVE!"

Thank the gods for demigods' ADHD. It did wonders for their reaction time. The campers managed to jump out of the way just as Markus zoomed past them and delivered a mean right hook to the side of the bronze bull. The force of the attack dented the hull of the side and sent it careening down the hill, tumbling and turning.

As Markus saw the fruits of his attack, the pain just registered to hand. He roared in pain as he cradled his now broken wrist and busted hand. Damn, he really wish he thought his plan through.

"Henderson?" Clarisse asked, shocked. That shock, however, quickly changed to anger, naturally, as she registered who saved her. "What the hell are you doing here? And how did you send that hunk of junk packing?"

"Nice to see you too, Clarisse," Markus muttered, taking out the water bottle he used earlier, using the last remains of his water to heal his hand. While the water did its work, he winced a little as his hand cracked a little, settling back in place.

"Don't give me that 'It's nice to see you, Clarisse' bullshit!" Clarisse shouted, furious. Damn, he could see the similarities between Clarisse and Ares. Both stupid and quick to anger. "I don't need you butting in! I can handle myself."

"Of course you can," Markus said sarcastically. He saved her ass, and this is how she thanked him? By shouting at him? He made it a note not to save her again. "Because you were handling yourself just fine when that bull kept on trying to barbecue you."

Clarisse would've shouted some more, but Markus held up his hand. "Look, as much as I love having a battle of wits with you, in which I'd win, can we focus on the task at hand?" He pointed to the bull that he punched. Guess that he didn't kill it with that last attack. Damn. At least he gravely injured it. There was a massive dent on its side, along with most of its insides falling out of a small opening on its front, but it wasn't dead. Also, its mouth looked a little dislodged, making it look comical. Damn, he didn't kill it, but he sure did a hell of a lot of damage.

The bull mooed, like an actual moo, and tried to smash the group. But Markus wouldn't have that.

Holding up both his hands, his right one being fully healed, he performed one of his favourite spells. " _Stella Inspiratione_!"

A bomb of light erupted from his palms, heading towards the mechanical bull. As the attack connected, there was a huge boom, drawing the attention of the other campers fighting. This also triggered a small flash of light as the spell went off.

As the flash faded, the campers were able to witness the effects of the spell. The bull was now nothing more than a puddle of liquid bronze, haven been heated and melted. The puddle was inside a small burnt crater, with the grass on the hill burnt on the side.

"Damn," one of the Ares campers whistled. The others shared his sentiment.

Eventually, they were broken out of their awe when they heard another loud 'moo', signifying that they had another bull to deal with.

Clarisse turned to shout to her patrol. "Get into phalanx formation! We still have another one to deal with!"

And with that order, the campers sprung into action. The few who were listening lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, locking their shields to form an ox-hide-and-bronze wall, their spears bristling over the top like porcupine quills.

Unfortunately, Clarisse could only muster six able campers. The other four were still running around with their helmets on fire. Markus could see Annabeth running towards them, trying to help. She taunted one of the bulls into chasing her, then turned invisible, completely confusing the monster. However, it did little good. The bull eventually ignored Annabeth's taunting and charged Clarisse's line.

"Hold the line!" Clarisse shouted as the bull shot out a searing jet of flame at her and Markus. Luckily the two got out of the way.

Then the bull charged towards them. Clarisse tried to dodge, but she was too slow. She got hit and went flying backward and landed in a smoldering patch of grass. The bull charged past her, but not before blasting the other heroes with its fiery breath. Their shields melted right off their arms. They dropped their weapons and ran. Then the bull closed in on Clarisse for the kill because as it charged at her, it also blew out some fire.

Luckily, Markus was able to get in front of her and held up one of his defensive magic circles on his palms. He held his hands together, shielding himself and Clarisse from the fire. He was able to bear the brunt of the heat, since he was slightly heat resistant because of being a son of Poseidon. Still, while he was able to block the fire, his hands were warming up slightly.

Thankfully, Percy came in and dragged Clarisse away to safety. "Let me go!" Clarisse pummeled Percy's hand. "Percy, curse you!" He did that just by the pine tree just to be safe while Annabeth ordered the remaining warriors to attack.

With that, Markus dropped his magical shields and rolled away, narrowly dodging the blast of fire. Percy stepped in, lunging at the bull that was only a few feet from him but it sent stream of fire, making him have to roll to the side to dodge.

Unfortunately, a tree root caught Percy's foot, making pain shoot through his body. The damn root sprained his ankle! Still, he was able to swing his sword at the beast, cutting off its snout. It ran away in pain and confusion.

However, it regained some of its composure and glared at the water boy menacingly before it charged the son of Poseidon. Percy tried to get back up, but with his sprained ankle, he didn't get very far.

Markus was about to dash in and save Percy, but Annabeth intervened instead. Seeing her friend about to be trampled on by an elephant sized bronze bull, she shouted, "Tyson! Help him!"

Somewhere near, toward the crest of the hill, Tyson wailed, "Can't get through!"

"I, Annabeth Chase, give you permission to enter camp!" she shouted desperately.

Thunder shook the hillside. Suddenly Tyson was there, barreling toward Percy, yelling: "Percya and new friends need help!" He got between Percy and the last bull just as it sent a stream of fire towards them.

"Tyson!" Percy yelled as his friend was engulfed in flames as it swirled around him like a red tornado.

When the fire died, Tyson was still standing there, completely unharmed. Not even his grungy clothes were scorched. The bull must've been as surprised as Percy was, because before it could unleash a second blast, Tyson balled his fists and slammed them into the bull's face. "BAD COW!"

His fists made a crater where the bronze bull's snout used to be. Two small columns of flame shot out of its ears. Tyson hit it again, and the bronze crumpled under his hands like aluminum foil. The bull's face now looked like a sock puppet pulled inside out.

"Down!" Tyson yelled.

The bull staggered and fell on its back. Its legs moved feebly in the air, steam coming out of head in odd places.

"... Holy hell, that was awesome!" Markus said, looking impressed. Damn, he wished he could do that! Now Tyson was alright in his opinion.

Annabeth ran over to Percy and saw that his ankle was making him in pain, so she gave him some nectar to drink and he felt a lot better thanks to it healing properties. That is when he noticed a burning smell that was coming from him, which was all the arm hair he used to have but now was singed off. Oh well, not much loss there.

"Ugh, thank the gods that's over!" Percy said happily.

"You are just lucky that you are not dead." Annabeth said.

"It looked like it did!" Percy said.

It was then they saw Clarisse coming up to them, seething. She pulled off her helmet and glared right at Percy and Markus. "YOU! RUIN! EVERYTHING!" She screamed, her new spear strapped to her back. "I had everything completely under control until you came along!"

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice," Markus said, annoyed.

Annabeth grumbled, "Good to see you too, Clarisse."

"Argh!" Clarisse screamed. "Don't ever, EVER try saving me again!"

"Noted," Percy muttered. Markus nodded gleefully.

"Clarisse," Annabeth said, "you've got wounded campers."

The three of them saw that this sobered her up a bit. "I'll be back," she growled, then trudged off to assess the damage.

Percy then saw his friend Tyson and said in awe and confusion, "You didn't die."

Markus rolled his eyes while Annabeth sighed in frustration.

Tyson looked down like he was embarrassed. "I am sorry. Came to help. Disobeyed you."

"My fault," Annabeth said. "I had no choice. I had to let Tyson cross the boundary line to save you. Otherwise, you would've died."

"Hey, I would've saved him." Markus interjected, but he was ignored.

Percy blinked in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean, 'let' him cross the barrier?"

At this, Markus walked forward, slapping him on the back of the head. "Ow!" Percy yelled in pain. He glared at his brother. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"Because you are a blind dumbass, that's what!" Markus said to him. Percy blinked in confusion again. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"Percy," Annabeth said, "have you ever looked at Tyson closely? I mean... in the face. Ignore the Mist, and really look at him."

Percy sighed before he looked at his tall friend, I mena really looked this time and saw the Mist disappear around his face area and that made Percy's eyes widen.

"Tyson," Percy stammered. "You're a..."

"Cyclops," Annabeth offered. "A baby, by the looks of him. Probably why he couldn't get past the boundary line as easily as the bulls. Tyson's one of the homeless orphans."

"One of the what?"

"They're in almost all the big cities," Annabeth said distastefully.

Markus sighed. "You _finally_ found out." Then he turned to his brother. "Percy, these guys like your friend here are mistakes. Children of nature spirits and gods…uh, well it is just one god since he gets pretty bored, I guess. Anyway, they don't come out right and no one wants them and I can sympathize with our large friend here that it sucks for him. So they get tossed out onto the streets and they grow up wild. Not sure how Tyson found you but I guess it is a good thing."

Annabeth glared at Tyson, not that he noticed and said, "We should take him to Chiron, let him decide what to do."

Markus turned to her. "He's not going anywhere."

"But - " Annabeth started, but Markus cut her off with a glare. "No, Annabeth. He's staying."

Both of them were locked into a battle of glares, sea green eyes versus storm grey. In the end, Annabeth relented, sighing resentfully. "Fine," she said, making Markus smile.

"Wait, but the fire. How-"

"He's a cyclops." Annabeth paused, as if she were remembering something unpleasant. "They work the forges of the gods. They have to be immune to fire. That's what I was trying to tell you." Percy just let his jaw drop at that, trying to figure out how he had never noticed that little fact about his tall friend.

Clarisse came back over and wiped the soot off her forehead. "Jackson, Henderson, if you can stand, get up. We need to carry the wounded back to the Big House, let Tantalus know what's happened."

"Tantalus?" Percy asked, confused. Markus was the same also.

"The activities director," Clarisse said impatiently.

"Chiron is the activities director. And where's Argus? He's head of security. He should be here." Percy argued.

Clarisse made a sour face. "Argus got fired. You guys have been gone too long. Things are changing."

Markus was wondering about what happened to Chiron when he'd contacted him before. But he didn't think things were this bad. "What the hell do you mean? Chiron is our trainer. He's been teaching heroes for thousands of years."

"Look, I don't know all the details. All you need to know is that happened," Clarisse snapped as she pointed to Thalia's tree.

The pine tree's needles were yellow. A huge pile of dead ones littered the base of the tree. In the center of the trunk, three feet from the ground, was a puncture mark the size of a bullet hole, oozing green sap.

"Oh… shit," Percy said with wide eyes.

"Well said," Markus said with a grimace.

 **XXX**

The three demigods and one cyclops surveyed the camp as they walked to the Big House. The forest looked a little sickly and everyone was on edge, thinking they could be attacked at a moment's notice, but they were all ready. To Markus, it was way to quiet. He saw that Percy seemed to be bothered by this as well.

When they got to the Big House, they found Chiron in his apartment, listening to his favorite 1960s lounge music while he packed his saddlebags. He was a centaur after all. From the waist up he looks like a regular middle-aged guy with curly brown hair and a scraggly beard. From the waist down, he's a white stallion. He can pass for human by compacting his lower half into a magic wheelchair. Percyknew that form easily since he was his teacher in the last school they were in.

As soon as they saw that man, Tyson froze. "PONY!" he screamed with stars in his… eye.

Chiron turned, looking offended. "I beg your pardon?"

Annabeth ran up and hugged him. "Chiron, what's happening? You're not... leaving?" Her voice was shaky. Chiron was like a second father to her.

Chiron ruffled her hair and gave her a kindly smile. "Hello, child. And Percy, Markus, my goodness. You've grown over the past year."

"Thanks," Markus said."But you can't really be fired, can you?"

Chiron's eyes glinted with dark humor. "Ah, well, someone had to take the blame. Lord Zeus was most upset. The tree he'd created from the spirit of his daughter, poisoned! Mr. D had to punish someone."

"That's bullshit!" Markus yelled out, furious. So just because Thalia's tree was poisoned, Chiron had to take the blame. The one who actually cared about the demigods was being punished, while the asshole god gets off scot-free. "So just because that fat, lazy, useless piece of-"

"Markus, that's enough," Chiron said sternly.

"No, this isn't fair for you!" Markus said angrily. "You're the trainer of heroes. Where does Mr. Boltfarter get the idea to blame you for something so unreasonable. And Mr. Dick doesn't get jackshit!"

A large boom of thunder went off in the sky, showing Zeus was offended. Markus walked to the window, opened it, and yelled to the sky. "If you're _so_ offended, then you can come down here and kiss my ass, you piece of shit!"

A bolt of lightning struck from the sky, hitting the area where Markus was previously at. He used kinetic energy to swiftly dodge the bolt, seeing that it was going to strike. He pointed to the sky mockingly. "Ha! You missed!"

"Markus, that's enough!" Chiron shouted now, getting Markus to look to him quickly while the others jumped. They'd never seen Chiron angry before.

While he stopped taunting Zeus, he turned to Chiron. "But Chiron-"

"I said that's enough, my boy," he said tiredly. "Please, don't endanger yourself on my behalf. I couldn't bear it."

"But Chiron, you know it's true. You can't take the fall for this," Markus insisted.

"But this is crazy!" Annabeth cried. "Chiron, Markus is right. You couldn't have had anything to do with poisoning Thalia's tree!"

"Nevertheless," Chiron sighed, "some in Olympus do not trust me now, under the circumstances."

"But that's not fair," Percy said. "Chiron, it's not your fault. You can't be blamed for something that you didn't do."

"Noble of you to say, but what's been done cannot be changed." Chiron said sadly.

"I don't like it." Percy said with an angry scowl. He really did not like Mr. D at the moment. He wasn't sure if he had the balls to say that to his face, though.

Chiron's face darkened. He stuffed a Latin-English dictionary into his saddlebag while the Frank Sinatra music oozed from his boom box.

Tyson was still staring at Chiron in amazement. He whimpered like he wanted to pat Chiron's flank but was afraid to come closer. "Pony?"

Chiron sniffed. "My dear young Cyclops! I am a centaur."

"Chiron," Percy said. "What about the tree? What happened?"

He shook his head sadly. "The poison used on Thalia's pine is something from the Underworld, Percy. Some venom even I have never seen. It must have come from a monster quite deep in the pits of Tartarus."

"Then we know who's responsible. Kro-"

"Do not invoke the Titan lord's name, Percy. Especially not here, not now."

"But last summer he tried to cause a civil war in Olympus! This has to be his idea. He'd get Luke to do it, that traitor."

"Perhaps," Chiron said. "But I fear I am being held responsible because I did not prevent it and I cannot cure it. The tree has only a few weeks of life left unless..."

"Unless what?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Chiron said. "A foolish thought. The whole valley is feeling the shock of the poison. The magical borders are deteriorating. The camp itself is dying. Only one source of magic would be strong enough to reverse the poison, and it was lost centuries ago."

"What is it?" Percy asked. "We'll go find it!"

"Yeah! We can go right now," Markus offered.

Chiron closed his saddlebag. He pressed the stop button on his boom box. He then turned rested his hands on the two boys' shoulders, looking them both in the eyes. "Markus, Percy, you must promise me that you will not act rashly. I told your mother, Percy, that I did not want you coming here…. even though Markus brought you here anyway. It has gotten too dangerous. But now that you are here, stay here. Train hard. Learn to fight. But do not leave."

"Wait, you can't be serious," Markus said, shocked. "Chiron, we can help. We want to save the camp."

"Yeah," Percy said. "I want to do something! I can't just let the borders fail. The whole camp will be-"

"Overrun by monsters," Chiron said. "Yes, I fear so. But you must not let yourself be baited into hasty action! This could be a trap of the Titan lord. Remember last summer! He almost took your life."

As Percy reflected on what happened last year, Markus scowled. "I am not going to sit here and do nothing. We can actually do something. We can-" Markus was interrupted by Chiron, who sighed and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I know it is not easy, but please until there is a way, stay here," Chiron said.

"... Fine," Markus muttered, relenting slightly. He still didn't plan to give up. Meanwhile Annabeth was trying hard not to cry.

Chiron brushed a tear from her cheek. "You must stay with Percy and Markus," he told her. "Keep them safe. The prophecy - remember it!"

"I - I will." She said.

Markus wanted to ask what prophecy they were talking about, but he knew that now wasn't the time to ask.

"Um ..." Percy said. "Would this be the super-dangerous prophecy that has me and Markus in it, but the gods have forbidden you to tell me about?"

Nobody answered.

"Right," Percy muttered. "Just checking." Markus scowled at this.

"Chiron ..." Annabeth said. "You told me the gods made you immortal only so long as you were needed to train heroes. If they dismiss you from camp - "

"Swear you will do your best to keep Percy and Markus from danger," he insisted. "Swear upon the River Styx."

"I swear it upon the River Styx," the she stated.

Thunder rumbled outside.

"Very well," Chiron said. He seemed to relax just a little. "Perhaps my name will be cleared and I shall return. Until then, I go to visit my wild kinsmen in the Everglades. It's possible they know of some cure for the poisoned tree that I have forgotten. In any event, I will stay in exile until this matter is resolved... one way or another."

Markus crossed his arms. "For everyone's sake, it better be."

Annabeth stifled a sob. Chiron patted her shoulder awkwardly. "There, now, children. I must entrust your safety to Mr. D and the new activities director. We must hope... well, perhaps they won't destroy the camp quite as quickly as I fear."

"Who is this Tantalus guy, anyway?" Percy demanded. "Where does he get off taking your job?"

"I have been wondering about that too." Markus commented.

A conch horn blew across the valley. Was it already that late? It was time for the campers to assemble for dinner.

"Go," Chiron said. "You will meet him at the pavilion. I will contact your mother, Percy, and let her know you're safe. No doubt she'll be worried by now. Just remember my warning! You both are in grave danger. Do not think for a moment that the Titan lord has forgotten you two!"

With that, he clopped out of the apartment and down the hall, Tyson calling after him, "Pony! Don't go!"

Percy realized he'd forgotten to tell Chiron about the dream he had of Grover. Now it was too late. The best teacher he'd ever had was gone, maybe for good.

Tyson started bawling almost as bad as Annabeth. Markus tried comforting the crying blonde. Percy decided to comfort the young Cyclopes, but none of them thought it was going to be OK for a while. Things where defiantly going south.

 **XXX**

The sun was setting behind the dining pavilion as the campers came up from their cabins. The little group stood in the shadow of a marble column and watched them file in. Annabeth was still pretty shaken up, but she promised she'd talk to the boys later. Then she went off to join her siblings from the Athena cabin - a dozen boys and girls with blond hair and gray eyes like hers. Annabeth wasn't the oldest, but she'd been at camp more summers than just about anybody. You could tell that by looking at her camp necklace - one bead for every summer, and Annabeth had six. No one questioned her right to lead the line.

Markus scanned the group of campers until he saw Silena sitting at the Aphrodite table with her brothers and sisters. She didn't seem to change that much from last year. When he was able to catch her eye, he smiled and waved at her. Her face lit up brightly and she waved back at him. Her siblings took note of her expression, and when they saw who she was waving at, the snickered and started teasing her. Markus smiled, turning to look at the Demeter table and was able to see Katie there, chatting with her siblings. She smiled when she saw him, waving slightly. Markus returned the gesture.

Next came Clarisse, leading the Ares cabin. She had one arm in a sling and a nasty-looking gash on her cheek, but otherwise her encounter with the bronze bulls didn't seem to have fazed her. Someone had taped a piece of paper to her back that said, YOU MOO, GIRL! But nobody in her cabin was bothering to tell her about it.

After the Ares kids came the Hephaestus cabin - six guys led by Charles Beckendorf, a big fifteen-year-old African American kid. He had hands the size of catchers' mitts and a face that was hard and squinty from looking into a blacksmiths forge all day. He was nice enough once you got to know him, but no one ever called him Charlie or Chuck or Charles. Most just called him Beckendorf. Rumor was he could make anything. Give him a chunk of metal and he could create a razor-sharp sword or a robotic warrior or a singing birdbath for your grandmother's garden. Whatever you wanted.

The other cabins filed in: Hermes, Apollo, Aphrodite, Dionysus. Naiads came up from the canoe lake. Dryads melted out of the trees. From the meadow came a dozen satyrs.

After the satyrs filed in to dinner, a couple of the Hermes cabin brought up the rear. They were always the biggest cabin. Last summer, it had been led by Luke, the guy who'd fought with Thalia and Annabeth on top of Half-Blood Hill.

Now the Hermes cabin was led by Travis and Connor Stoll. They weren't twins, but they looked so much alike it didn't matter. Neither Markus or Percy could remember who was older, but it didn't really matter. Now the Hermes cabin was led by Travis and Connor Stoll. They weren't twins, but they looked so much alike it didn't matter. I could never remember which one was older. They were both tall and skinny, with mops of brown hair that hung in their eyes. They wore orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts untucked over baggy shorts, and they had those elfish features all Hermes's kids had: upturned eyebrows, sarcastic smiles, a gleam in their eyes whenever they looked at you - like they were about to drop a firecracker down your shirt.

Percy grinned nervously in their direction because before he left last year. He was caught in one of their pranks… one that included his brother. The trio were little demons when it came to pranking … especially Markus being able to turn invisible with his jacket.

As soon as the last campers had filed in, Percy and Markus led Tyson into the middle of the pavilion. Conversations faltered. Heads turned. "Who invited that?" somebody at the Apollo table murmured.

From the head table a familiar voice drawled, "Well, well, if it isn't Peter Johnson and Marcia Hunding. My millennium is complete."

Percy gritted his teeth. "Percy Jackson and Markus Henderson... sir." He answered for his brother because he knew that he would give a smartass comment. Something they didn't need at the moment.

Mr. D sipped his Diet Coke. "Yes. Well, as you young people say these days: Whatever."

Markus was mentally counting down to calm himself. He was usually easy to anger. Now that he learned that Mr. D basically copped out of his punishment so Chiron could take the fall, he was pissed. Just one comment would be enough to trigger him.

Mr. D was wearing his usual leopard-pattern Hawaiian shirt, walking shorts, and tennis shoes with black socks. With his pudgy belly and his blotchy red face, he looked like a Las Vegas tourist who'd stayed up too late in the casinos. Behind him, a nervous-looking satyr was peeling the skins off grapes and handing them to Mr. D one at a time.

Mr. D's real name is Dionysus. The god of wine. Zeus appointed him director of Camp Half-Blood to dry out for a hundred years - a punishment for chasing some off-limits wood nymph.

Next to him, where Chiron usually sat (or stood, in centaur form), was someone Markus and Percy had never seen before - a pale, horribly thin man in a threadbare orange prisoner's jump-suit. The number over his pocket read 0001. He had blue shadows under his eyes, dirty fingernails, and badly cut gray hair, like his last haircut had been done with a weed whacker. He stared at me; his eyes made me nervous. He looked... fractured. Angry and frustrated and hungry all at the same time.

"These boys," Dionysus told him, "you need to watch. Poseidon's children, you know."

"Ah!" the prisoner said. "Those one." His tone made it obvious that he and Dionysus had already discussed Percy and Markus at length. "I take it that the wizard one is the one to watch out for."

"Usually," Mr. D said. Markus almost blew a vein at how angry he was. He had to close his eyes, as his eyes were glowing an emerald light (which he always did whenever he was angry).

"I am Tantalus," the prisoner said, smiling coldly. "On special assignment here until, well, until my Lord Dionysus decides otherwise. And you two, Perseus Jackson, Markus Henderson, I do expect you to refrain from causing any more trouble."

"Aw, you already know about us," Markus muttered sarcastically. "That just takes away the fun of messing with you."

Tantalus' eye twitched. Percy almost laughed, but held it in, lest he get in trouble.

Dionysus snapped his fingers. A newspaper appeared on the table - the front page of today's New York Post, There was Percy's yearbook picture from Meriwether Prep. It was hard for the him to make out the headline, but he had a pretty good guess what it said. Something like: Thirteen- Year-Old Lunatic Torches Gymnasium.

Markus chuckled seeing that. "Damn, you're popular with the press _again._ That has to be some kind of record." Percy's eye twitched at that reminder, remembering all the trouble being infamous was from last summer.

"Yes, trouble," Tantalus said with satisfaction. "You caused plenty of it last summer, I understand." Percy was too mad to speak.

A satyr inched forward nervously and set a plate of bar-becue in front of Tantalus. The new activities director licked his lips. He looked at his empty goblet and said, "Root beer. Barq's special stock. 1967."

The glass filled itself with foamy soda. Tantalus stretched out his hand hesitantly, as if he were afraid the goblet was hot.

"Go on, then, old fellow," Dionysus said, a strange sparkle in his eyes. "Perhaps now it will work."

Tantalus grabbed for the glass, but it scooted away before he could touch it. A few drops of root beer spilled, and Tantalus tried to dab them up with his fingers, but the drops rolled away like quicksilver before he could touch them. He growled and turned toward the plate of barbecue. He picked up a fork and tried to stab a piece of brisket, but the plate skittered down the table and flew off the end, straight into the coals of the brazier.

"Blast!" Tantalus muttered, making Markus chuckle slightly.

"Ah, well," Dionysus said, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "Perhaps a few more days. Believe me, old chap, working at this camp will be torture enough. I'm sure your old curse will fade eventually."

"Eventually," muttered Tantalus, staring at Dionysus's Diet Coke. "Do you have any idea how dry one's throat gets after three thousand years?"

"You're that spirit from the Fields of Punishment," Percy said with wide eyes. "The one who stands in the lake with the fruit tree hanging over you, but you can't eat or drink."

Tantalus sneered at Percy. "A real scholar, aren't you, boy?"

"Like you're any better," Markus scoffed, making Tantalus turn his sneer to him. Mr. D actually chuckled at that. Guess he didn't like the him too.

"You must've done something really horrible when you were alive," Percy said, mildly impressed. "What was it?"

Tantalus's eyes narrowed. Behind him, the satyrs were shaking their heads vigorously, trying to warn the poor fool.

"I'll be watching you, Percy Jackson," Tantalus said. "I don't want any problems at my camp."

"We already had problems when you decided to come here," Markus muttered softly, only Percy hearing him. If Tantalus didn't hear him, he didn't say anything.

"Your camp has problems already ... sir."

"Oh, go sit down, Johnson," Dionysus sighed. "I believe that table over there is yours - the one where barely anyone ever wants to sit."

Percy glared at Mr. D with a red face, but he could do nothing. Then the god turned to Markus, a fiery light in his eyes. "Now, Martin... I believe you just offended my name a while ago."

"It's Markus," Markus said instantly. "And I have no idea what you're talking about."

"No?" Mr. D's light in his eyes glowed a little brighter. "Because I seem to recall you calling me 'fat' and 'lazy'? Along with saying a number of different things?" Markus stayed silent, glaring at him with his own glowing eyes. "Does any of that ring a bell?"

Markus scowled. "Actually, yes. I was talking about another person, one who I found to be a little... bratty. He _was_ fat, lazy, and a whole lot of other things that are a little inappropriate. I cursed _him_ because he chickened out of taking a punishment given to him. But I assure you, Mr. D, I was _not_ talking about you."

Dionysus' glare intensified. From the ground, roots slowly crept along the ground, growing grapes along their path. The god's eyes glowed an intense purple, and Markus could see the madness behind them. "You are lucky, _boy._ If not for your father's wrath upon me if I were to take action, I would drive you insane. Or better yet, turn you into a little rodent." Percy looked pale in the face at the god's threat. Markus face remained unchanged. He still glared at the god, seemingly not caring about the threat given to him. Tantalus inched away from Dionysus in fear.

When the god didn't say anything else, Markus began to walk to his table, his brother behind him. Percy turned to Tyson and said, "Come on."

"Oh, no," Tantalus said, gaining back some of his bravado. "The monster stays here. We must decide what to do with it."

"Him," Percy snapped. "His name is Tyson."

The new activities director raised an eyebrow.

"Tyson saved the camp," Percy insisted. "He pounded one of those bronze bulls. Otherwise it would've burned down this whole place."

"Yes," Tantalus sighed, "and what a pity that would've been."

Dionysus snickered, his apparent anger forgotten.

"Leave us," Tantalus ordered, "while we decide this creature's fate."

Percy grit his teeth at the order, but he knew he could not disobey it.

"I'll be right over here, big guy," Percy promised. "Don't worry. We'll find you a good place to sleep tonight."

Tyson nodded. "I believe you. You are my friend."

With that Percy trudged over his table where he and his brother sat. He hoped thing would be OK for his Cyclops friend. When a Wood Nymph brought over some food, he took it, but he was not hungry. He was too busy thinking on what had happened so far. But before he let it go to waste. He scraped some of it into the flames to off some to his dad. "Posiedon, accept my offering."

As he went back to his table, he looked over to Markus, who was sitting there frostily. Percy noted his brother's anger from a mile away, and he could understand it. He was actually scared of him as he inched away. Was it suddenly growing colder? Just as he sat down again, one of the satyr's blew the horn again, tell them all that Tantalus had more to say.

"Yes, well," Tantalus said, once the talking had died down. "Another fine meal! Or so I am told." As he spoke, he inched his hand toward his refilled dinner plate, as if maybe the food wouldn't notice what he was doing, but it did. It shot away down the table as soon as he got within six inches. This made some of the campers smile.

"And here on my first day of authority," he continued, "I'd like to say what a pleasant form of punishment it is to be here. Over the course of the summer, I hope to torture, er, interact with each and every one of you children. You all look good enough to eat."

Dionysus clapped politely, leading to some halfhearted applause from the satyrs. Tyson was still standing at the head table, looking uncomfortable, but every time he tried to scoot out of the limelight, Tantalus pulled him back.

"And now some changes!" Tantalus gave the campers a crooked smile. "We are reinstituting the chariot races!"

Murmuring broke out at all the tables - excitement, fear, disbelief.

"Now I know," Tantalus continued, raising his voice, "that these races were discontinued some years ago due to, ah, technical problems."

"Three deaths and twenty-six mutilations," someone at the Apollo table called.

"Yes, yes!" Tantalus said. "But I know that you will all join me in welcoming the return of this camp tradition. Golden laurels will go to the winning charioteers each month. Teams may register in the morning! The first race will be held in three days time. We will release you from most of your regular activities to prepare your chariots and choose your horses. Oh, and did I mention, the victorious team's cabin will have no chores for the month in which they win?"

An explosion of excited conversation - no KP for a whole month? No stable cleaning? Was he serious?

"But, sir!" Clarisse said. She looked nervous, but she stood up to speak from the Ares table. Some of the campers snickered when they saw the YOU MOO, GIRL! sign on her back. "What about patrol duty? I mean, if we drop everything to ready our chariots-"

"Ah, the hero of the day," Tantalus exclaimed. "Brave Clarisse, who single-handedly bested the bronze bulls!"

"Bullshit," Markus muttered under his breath. He knew Tantalus was purposefully not giving him and Tyson the credit for what they did.

Clarisse blinked, then blushed. "Um, I didn't -"

"Oh, so modest," Tantalus said with fake interest. "Anyway, not to worry. This is a summer camp! We are here to enjoy ourselves, yes?"

"But the tree-" Clarisse tried to say but was cut off by the man again.

"And now," Tantalus said, as several of Clarisse's cabin mates pulled her back into her seat, "before we proceed to the campfire and sing-along, one slight housekeeping issue. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase have seen fit, for some reason, to bring this here." Tantalus waved a hand toward Tyson.

Uneasy murmuring spread among the campers. A lot of sideways looks at Percy. The boy wanted to kill Tantalus.

"Now, of course," he said, "Cyclopes have a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters with a very small brain capacity. Under normal circumstances, I would release this beast into the woods and have you hunt it down with torches and pointed sticks. But who knows? Perhaps this Cyclops is not as horrible as most of its brethren. Until it proves worthy of destruction, we need a place to keep it! I've thought about the stables, but that will make the horses nervous. Hermes's cabin, possibly?"

Silence at the Hermes table. Travis and Connor Stoll developed a sudden interest in the tablecloth. Percy couldn't blame them. The Hermes cabin was always full to bursting. There was no way they could take in a six-foot-three Cyclops.

"Come now," Tantalus chided. "The monster may be able to do some menial chores. Any suggestions as to where such a beast should be kenneled?"

Suddenly everybody gasped.

Tantalus scooted away from Tyson in surprise. There above Tyson's head was the same symbol that was above Percy's and Markus' heads last year. The symbol of Posiedon. Markus blinked. Tyson was their brother?! What the hell, dad? Who did you boink that Tyson came out as a result?

There was a moment of awed silence.

Being claimed was a rare event. Some campers waited in vain for it their whole lives. When Markus and Percy had been claimed by their Godly parents last summer, everyone had reverently knelt. But now, they followed Tantalus's lead, and Tantalus roared with laughter. "Well! I think we know where to put the beast now. By the gods, I can see the family resemblance!"

Everyone laughed except for Percy, Annabeth, Markus and a few of their friends. Markus snarled, his eyes shining with emerald light. He stood up. Percy tried to stop him, but it was futile. He walked up to the wall opposite his table, and channeled earthquake into his fist. Filled with building rage at everything, at Chiron's situation, at the situation of camp, at Mr. D and Tantalus, he punched the wall, creating a large crater in it and getting everyone's attention from the very large noise.

Markus turned his furious eyes to all the campers who were laughing, freezing them in place out of fear. The reason was because Markus' eyes had become completely neon green with a small pupil. And they were full of rage.

Suddenly, a cold mist started emitting from him. Unknown to Markus, his new ice powers were acting up and were responding to his rage. He didn't know how, nor did he care. The cold air froze everyone's drinks and gave all the campers a shudder, whether in fear of what Markus did to the wall or the cold feeling in the air, they weren't sure.

"Laugh," Markus whispered, though his voice carried out to all of them. "Come on, you guys were having a wonderful time laughing at me and Percy. Go on. Laugh. I dare you." Markus said the last part with a cold smile. "See what happens when you do."

With that, he walked to his seat, eyes trained on him. He sat down, ignoring all the stares and the silence, and continued to eat his food.

It was quiet for a moment. Tyson didn't seem to notice. He was too mystified, trying to swat the glowing trident that was now fading over his head. He was too innocent to understand how much they were previously making fun of him.

No one said anything for a while. And then Tantalus clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention. "Ah... yes. Well, off you go now!" he said it loudly, though everyone could catch the hint of fear in his voice.

Markus scowled. He could tell that he wasn't going to enjoy this summer. At all.

 **And done! Whoo! I'm so glad!**

 **Good to write to you all! Hope you enjoyed the story.**

 **So here, we see Chiron leaving camp, Markus going rage mode, and Tantalus being a dick. Not much to put there.**

 **I probably will replace some parts of the Sea of Monsters book with episodes of Markus. Some training near the start, where they settle at camp, during the quest, where he'll fight a sea monster (I won't say which one), and his little journey during the quest also. More will be revealed later on.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. And thank you to all those who read, reviewed, followed and favourited the story. I know it's repetitive, but I'm just thankful.**

 **Read and Review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23:**

The next few days at camp were hell for some, while others made due with what they had. And by others, that the Stoll brothers and Markus. They made a bet as to who could prank Tantalus the most and the hardest. The Stolls' reason was because they enjoyed pranking, and while Markus enjoyed it also, he agreed because he was feeling slightly vindictive towards the new activities director.

Markus' prank came first. It was immediately the morning after he arrived at camp. It was early in the morning, and everyone was shuffling to their tables to eat. He got a burger from one of the nymphs serving food. Usually, they didn't normally serve fast food, but Markus convinced them to do it. In return, Markus agreed to help them cook some of the foods for the campers for one day. That seemed a little demanding, but Markus went through with it.

Memorising a charm that he had picked up from his time at Spellhaven, Markus cast an animation charm upon the burger, along with having a time limit on when the charm would go off. It seemed a little complicated, but it was actually easy. The charm was more of a gag gift, and not meant for actually spell-casting. Most of them were a bit childish. Markus didn't mind, though. The few that he had picked were perfect for his plans. And he was going to execute them perfectly. Mwahahaha... er, anyways...

Markus placed the charmed burger on the pile where the nymphs were piling the food for the campers. Zipping away to join Percy and Tyson (who he was feeling confused about) at the Poseidon table, he eagerly waited for his plan to commence.

Seeing his brother's smirk, Percy asked suspiciously, "What did you do?"

Turning to face him, Markus put on his best innocent expression. "Who, me?" he asked, falsely innocent. Percy's eyes narrowed as he glared at his brother, not buying it for one second. Tyson looked at the two of them, his big blue eye blinking confusedly.

Following his brother's line of sight, Percy looked to see Tantalus sitting at his table with a burger on his plate, licking his lips. Percy blinked. He'd never seen burgers being served at camp. Barbecue, sure. But not burgers. Huh, he'd have to ask the nymphs to see if he could ge-

And immediately he knew what his brother was planning. Maybe not exactly, but he knew something was up. He turned to Markus, about to question him, but Markus' grin grew wider as he saw Tantalus pick up his burger to eat it. And Percy's response came too late.

As the burger got close to Tantalus' mouth, Markus activated the trace charm on his palm. The burger was inches from his mouth when the buns suddenly opened up - like it had a mouth - and reached forward, biting Tantalus' nose.

He froze, shocked. Hell, everyone watching was shocked at the display. Mr. D, seeing this happen, laughed silently to himself. An ass he may be, at least he could appreciate a good joke when he saw it.

The shock registered to Tantalus before the pain, surprisingly. He yelped in pain, letting go of the burger to get it off his nose. The magic food was surprisingly strong. Its grip didn't lessen, and instead kept gnawing on his nose. He stood, slapping his face to get the food off his face. He run around, shrieking like Hades himself was pursuing him. Eventually, he was so distracted from the food on his face, he didn't see the railing ahead of him. He hit it, his body tilting and falling to meet the lake that the naiads were currently occupying.

Once he hit the lake, they screamed, surprised at the splash and the person who fell into it. Once Tantalus reemerged, wet and with a soggy burger on his face, he was promptly attacked by the naiads, who were apparently pissed at him ruining their relaxation. His cries of mercy rang out to the campers, causing Markus to laugh as loud as he could, satisfied at his successful prank. And he even got his ass kicked by the naiads, which was just a bonus.

It became too much to bare for everyone else, as they fell out of their seats laughing. Mr. D actually chuckled at the successful prank. Some of them even had tears coming out of their eyes from laughing too much. From the midst of their amusement, a few people turned their gaze knowingly to Markus, who was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

Vengeance was sweet.

 **XXX**

The day after, Markus and a few others were waiting for the Stoll brothers to perform their prank. Tantalus was furious after he recovered from his ordeal but he never caught Markus, as he had no one to pin the blame on. Though he did give the boy a nasty glare at times, and Markus replied back with an innocent smile.

Him, Percy and Michael Yew, who was a son of Apollo, were sitting near the lake, waiting for the prank to commence.

And not a moment too soon.

Tantalus ran out of his room, screeching in terror as satyrs, nymphs and demigods witnessed the scene. Out of his room, the Barney theme song playing loud and clear. "~ 'I love you, You love me, We're a happy fam-ily... ~"

Immediately those in the area, including the three boys watching, broke down in laughter. Hell, Markus was almost tempted to give up the bet after that amazing display. Bur his pride wouldn't allow him. He just had to learn to top that.

Hearing chuckling beside them, the three boys turned their heads to look at the two grinning sons of Hermes, who watched the whole thing with a proud look. "So," Travis - they boys guessed that it was Travis - said, "do you concede to the Dark Side, young fool?"

"Nay, young Padawan," responded Markus in a bad imitation of Darth Vader. "For I have yet to show you the true power of the Force."

"... That was a bad imitation," Michael commented, making the other boys laugh as Markus pouted.

"Everyone's a critic," he muttered angrily.

 **XXX**

After the Stoll's prank, Markus decided to step it up. His prank was simple and efficient. He got help from the children of Hecate, who shared in the mutual dislike for Tantalus. He put up a picture of a dementor from Harry Potter (which he watched, so he knew how freaky that thing was) on a fake wall. The Hecate children charmed the picture so it would create an illusion of the dementor. When Tantalus came into the mess hall (after recovering from his episode with Barney), he saw the wall and shrieked like a little girl.

The demigods there already knew that it was a prank, and so were expecting this kind of reaction. At that moment, the dementor came to life, the illusion making it look like it was peeling itself from the wall, and chased the activities director. Tantalus immediately turned to run, but he tripped over his feet, falling down. He still kept shrieking loudly as the dementor came upon him. He got so scared that he fainted on the spot.

Immediately all those eating broke down in laughter as they witnessed a grown man faint like that. Sure, the illusion was scary, but still. They laughed even more when they saw the wet stain on Tantalus' trousers, indicating that he had pissed himself.

Markus turned to smirk at the Stoll brothers as they witnessed his prank. He doubted they could beat that.

 **XXX**

Turns out that they _could_ beat that.

At dinner, everyone, including Mr. D, were looking expectantly towards the entrance of the mess hall, waiting to see the latest prank that the Stolls could whip up.

And they weren't disappointed.

Tantalus came into the hall, wearing a pink prom dress. But that wasn't all. He was also wearing pink glitter and had a lipstick stick glued onto his cheek.

He even had the words 'I'm a pretty little princess!' on the front of his dress on a laurel strap that he was wearing. Lastly, he was wearing what looked to be black girls shoes that somehow had speakers attached on them. The speakers suddenly decided to work now, singing the 'Lelli Kelly School Shoes' song from the ad **(A.N. - If you've seen the ad, then you know how annoying that song is)**.

Finally, the campers couldn't take it anymore. They laughed so hard that some fell out of their tables and laid on the floor, rolling in laughter. Markus could even hear one Hermes camper say, "I knew going to the Aphrodite cabin was a good idea."

Markus cursed. Why hadn't he thought of that?! He could've asked Silena for help in his prank war! Well played, boys. Well played.

 **XXX**

Markus sighed as he sat in the sword arena, contemplating something. He'd given up the bet with the Stolls, as he wanted to focus on his training rather than pranking Tantalus, no matter how much he enjoyed it. And he was on a roll, too!

Now he was in the sword arena, doing push-ups and sit-ups. He'd already practiced his sword-play earlier on, and now he was focusing on his physical training.

When he reached his 40th sit-up, he rolled over, panting in exhaustion. He reached forward to his water bottle and splashed water on himself, rejuvenating him. He learned something with his water healing as he trained. If he got injured while he was training, he could just heal the part that was injured, and it became stronger. Not by much, but still. He felt that part become a little stronger as he trained. He was just like a Saiyan! By the way, he really had to stop it with the anime references.

He was just finished with his workout when he heard a feminine voice call out, "Hey, Markus!"

Markus turned to see Silena running up to him. Smiling, he greeted his friend. "Hey. What's up?"

Do you want to be partners in the chariot race in a few days?" she asked, suddenly nervous.

Markus shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Though I don't see your siblings helping us with making the chariot."

"They're not," Silena said angrily. "I know it might be too much of a hassle..."

"Naw, it's okay. I can just ask Tyson for help. I know that cyclopes are good at crafting stuff. Maybe he can help," Markus said, making Silena nod happily. Then he asked a question that had been bugging him. "Uh, you're not going to act different just because Tyson's my brother, right?" he asked nervously. He knew that Silena wasn't like that, but still...

She blinked. "What? No! I'm not going to treat you differently just because your dad had a cyclopes for a kid. If you saw how many people my mother slept with, as well as who she slept with..." she shuddered, as if the idea disgusted her. "Yeah, let's not get into that."

Markus smiled normally. He knew he could count on her. "Thanks. Though I can't say the same for your siblings..." he said this with a frown. While his display from a few days ago had scared the others away from him and Percy, there were a few campers who looked at both of them disgustedly, as they allowed Tyson to stay here. Markus didn't care, though. While knowing Tyson was his brother was... shocking, he saw that the baby cyclops wasn't bad. In fact, he acted like a baby most of the time, making Markus unable to be mad at him. Plus, he was feeling a little overprotective of the guy. Anyone who was talking bad about him, Markus just doused them with water from the lake. It seemed like the safer method instead of beating the shit out of them. Since then, no one really talked about him behind his back.

He couldn't say the same for Percy, though. He could see that the insults and the jeers, as small as they were, were getting to him. Plus, he did feel a little resentment over Tyson. Not like the others, but it was more about the fact that he had a 'freak' for a brother. While Markus didn't blame him, that didn't mean he was okay with Percy's attitude with Tyson.

Speaking of which, Markus turned to see Annabeth, Tyson and Percy near the lake, with some Aphrodite boys approaching them. Markus knew that things weren't going to be pretty.

He turned to Silena, who saw what was happening. "Excuse me. I have brotherly issues to take care of."

"Please don't rough them up too badly," Silena said worriedly. Markus shrugged. "I make no promises."

And with that, Markus jogged towards the group, just in time to hear one of the Aphrodite boys say something to Percy. "Hey, Percy. Do you need eyeliner for your eye... sorry, eyes?" he asked cruelly, the other boys snickering beside him.

Markus' eyes narrowed. Well, looks like he wasn't going to be pulling his punches.

He crept up behind the boy who had spoken. Tapping the boy on the shoulder, he got him to turn to face him, before Markus punched him in his right eye.

The boy screamed, dropping onto the ground pathetically, holding his eye in his hands as the other boys, as well as Percy and Annabeth, were shocked at what happened. Markus ignored them as he glared down at the boy on the ground. The Aphrodite boy looked up, angry. Suddenly, his anger wilted upon seeing who it was that punched him.

"Guess what? Now you're the one who needs eyeliner for your eye," Markus said sweetly, making reference to the boy's now closed black eye.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" the boy screamed in pain and anger. He flinched when glowing emerald eyes bore into his skull.

"Next time," Markus said, sneering, "don't talk about things you have no idea about. You might end up having to break a nail. Or worse." He said the last part mockingly, knowing that sons of Aphrodite were just as girly as the girls were.

The other boys beside him prepared to fight, only to freeze when Markus turned his glare to them. He made a shooing motion with his hand, as if they were dogs. "Now, go on. Shoo. And next time, be careful of what you say around people."

The other boys quickly picked up their brother, who looked like he was going to attack Markus, and went away. Markus scoffed when they went away. "Pussies."

"Markus, what the hell was that about?!" Annabeth screamed in his face. "You don't just go around punching people! That doesn't work out! And for what?! Just because you're defending a mon-"

"Finish that sentence, Annabeth," Markus said calmy, his eyes glowing emerald again, "and you'll join the Aphrodite kid from before."

Annabeth's mouth clamped shut, not wanting to get punched like the kid from before. She was slightly fearful of him right now, and wasn't stupid enough to anger him even more.

"I get that you have some problems with Tyson," Markus said, his anger receding slightly. "Problems that go deeper than the typical hate around here. But if you have nothing nice to say to Tyson, then don't say anything at all. Simple."

Annabeth glared at him, but it didn't even make him flinch. She huffed, and walked away, stomping her feet while doing so.

Markus rolled his eyes. "She's so confusing at times," he muttered, making Percy nod in agreement, smiling. Markus then turned to his brother. "So, what's eating at you?" he asked.

At this, Percy's smile faded and he just grunted, gaining a broody look of his on his face.

Markus raised his eyebrow. "That bad, huh?" he asked, quirking his lips. Though Percy didn't smile back.

Markus had his suspicions, they were why he'd come to talk to him, but he wasn't going to assume anything.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Percy replied stonily.

Markus rolled his eyebrows. "Yeah, sure. And you don't like the colour blue, Blue Boy. Now what's really going on?"

When Percy didn't reply, Markus pointed to the cyclops behind him. "It's about Tyson, isn't it?"

Percy stiffened slightly.

"Percy, it is, isn't it?" Markus asked encouragingly.

Percy just looked away and grunted sullenly in agreement.

Aren't you happy to have a new bunkmate. Hell, I am," Markus freely confessed. "We have a new brother... granted, he isn't human. But neither are we, well not fully, so..."

Percy's hand tightened into a fist, the son of Poseidon's entire posture growing less friendly as he hissed in reply. "I'm not you, okay!"

Markus frowned. "I know that! But really? You're upset at having a new brother? Seriously?"

Percy shot him a furious look, and for a moment Markus honestly thought he was about to attack him. Fortunately, he seemed to calm himself down with a breath.

"Just leave me alone, Markus," he said gruffly, turning to leave. Markus wasn't going to have that, however. He grabbed his brother's arm, stopping him from leaving. "Uh uh. No way. We're not finished yet."

This was the last straw for Percy it seemed. Spinning around, he glared at his brother. "You really don't get it, do you?"

Markus blinked in confusion. "I guess not. So, what am I not getting?"

Percy released his arm and got right into Markus' personal space, glaring down at his brother with anger. Markus couldn't help but think that maybe this was affecting Percy more than he thought.

"Do you not get what it means to have a monster for a sibling, Markus? Do you even fathom how embarrassing it is to be told by dad, via claiming, that we have as much standing as a monster?"

"That's not what dad meant and you know it!" Markus retorted, tired of Percy being broody. Could he not see it from Tyson's point of view? Could he not worry about his what other people thought?!

"Oh, and since when did you ever agree to anything dad did? Because last time we met each other, you punched him in the face, and now you're agreeing with what he's done?" Percy asked harshly.

Markus couldn't believe him. Was he seriously asking him about that? "This isn't about Poseidon!" Markus roared, furious now. "This is about you being too much of a coward to admit the fact that you have a cyclops for a brother! In case you're too embarrassed about it, his name is Tyson and he's just as much a son of Poseidon as we are!"

"I'm not embarrassed!" Percy yelled back. "I'm just disgusted about the fact that we're related to him!" At that, he froze, seemingly shocked at what he said. Markus did too, stunned. Tyson, hearing this, whimpered, like he was about to cry.

Markus glared at him even harsher now. "Let me ask you something, Percy," he said, not calling him by any nickname. "Do you realise that Poseidon has basically had dozens of children? From the sheep who's skin is the Golden Fleece, to disgusting pieces of shit like Orion in the myths. He's basically had thousands of kids, from creatures to rapists to complete filth across the Greek pantheon. And yet Tyson, an innocent cyclops who saved your ungraceful ass, has done nothing wrong and is one of the best sons of Poseidon, simply by being who he is. Maybe you should actually take a step back and look at him as a person, and not judge him on his species. After all, when we were revealed as sons of Poseidon, we weren't exactly welcomed with opened arms. We were treated like the plague. Now you're doing the exact same thing." Markus walked pass Percy, who was stunned at his outburst. He had one final thing to say to him, though.

Turning to his brother, he said, "Well, be happy that you can't feel embarrassed by other people. Because now you have no one around you to feel embarrassed by." Walking away, he grabbed Tyson by his hand and dragged him off, struggling slightly to do so.

As he walked with the Tyson, the cyclops was openly crying. "B-brother P-Percy hates me?" he blubbered like a baby, making Markus' heart ache for him. If it weren't for the fact that he was a big cyclops, Markus would've given him a hug. He couldn't do that, however, because he couldn't hold him fully. Still, he reached up and patted him on his shoulder. "Don't worry, bro. Percy doesn't hate you. He's just angry." He said this half-heartedly, not really meaning it. He smiled at Tyson to lift his spirits. "Come on. Let's go to the forges. You'll love it there."

 **XXX**

After dealing with Percy, Markus wanted to do something creative. So, he went to the Hephaestus cabin to talk to Beckendorf about something. He was currently watching Beckendorf help make him a new weapon.

It was the Devil Arm Beowulf from the Devil May Cry games.

Markus was a huge fan of the game series. And when he realised that he could basically craft the weapons from the games, hell, weapons from games that he knew, it would totally help him in battles against monsters. Plus, he could make other weapons for his friends.

When he told Beckendorf this, there was a gleam in his eyes. Guess he was excited about the idea as much as he was, though he didn't know most of the games. He made the weapons while Markus gave him the designs.

Tyson was at the back, happily crafting with other Hephaestus campers. They didn't have any problem with the cyclops, as he helped them a lot in the forges. So, they had some extra help in forging, while Tyson found a place with people who treated him normally. Win-win.

Right now, he was working on the conjoined Poseidon/Aphrodite chariot for the games. Technically, him and Percy were supposed to be working together, but since their spat, they kind of drifted to different campers for help. Markus already had Silena, while Percy went to Annabeth for help. While he admitted that the two worked well together, they also were famous for arguing a lot. Tantalus didn't have much a problem with the two brothers splitting. Probably because he was still recovering from the prank attacks.

Silena wanted to help build it herself, but Markus just said that Tyson would handle it. She was upset, but soon got over it. Actually, Tyson insisted on making the chariot for Markus, claiming it was thanks for sticking up for him. Markus kept saying that he didn't need any gift, but Tyson insisted, and so Markus relented.

"So make sure that you get the wolf emblem on the hands and feet," Markus instructed. Damn, forging looked so cool. And damn useful. Maybe he should give it a try. That reminded him: didn't cyclops work for his dad, and some of them had Poseidon's blood in them. So, by that theory, wouldn't forging be one of his and Percy's demigod powers? Meh, food for thought later.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Beckendorf grumbled. "You said the same thing like a hundred times. By the way, if it's based off a video game, how are you going to get the powers from it?"

"Magic, duh," Markus said, rolling his eyes. "Probably a light spell to give it its abilities. And other enhancements to augment its stats. Oh, and by the way, you still willing to forge those other weapons?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, pointing to drawings of weapons on a table next to him. They were drawings of weapons ripped straight from different games, from Devil May Cry (Yamato, Gilgamesh, Pandora, Cerberus) to God of War (Blades of Athena and the Blades of Chaos) and other drawings. Markus intended to have these weapons created for him and his friends. They would take time to build, but Markus intended to have them created.

"I still don't know why you want to help me create them," Beckendorf commented.

Markus shrugged. "I just want to learn forging. It seems cool. I'll never be at your level, no way. But it wouldn't hurt to at least learn it."

Beckendorf nodded, and was about to say something when Alabaster came to the door of the Hephaestus cabin. "Markus, we need you to keep up the barrier," he said, making Markus frown.

Ever since Markus came to camp, Tantalus hadn't done anything about the lack of magical barriers. There had been no patrols going on, as he had banned them. So the Hecate children, as well as some other campers, had decided to take priority into their hands. The Hecate children had tried to supply a strong magical barrier, while some of them tried healing Thalia's tree, but with no success. The poison was too strong for any healing rune or healing ability from the Apollo kids.

So they decided to create several magic barriers surrounding camp. They weren't as strong as the previous barriers, but they at least kept some of the attacking monsters out. Markus joined in also, as he wanted to help out. Plus, his defensive magic went up as well, so there was that.

Markus nodded to Alabaster. "I'll join you." He turned to Beckendorf, who also looked serious as well. Markus waved at the son of the forge god. "Thanks, Beck. I'll pay you for the weapons later."

As he jogged along with Alabaster to Half-Blood Hill, he saw several Hecate and Apollo children working on healing the tree while maintaining the magic barriers they had active.

Markus walked up to Lou Ellen, who had her own magic barrier set up, and starting chanting his own defensive magic spell. " _Speculum Alice,_ _"_ he chanted, which was Latin for 'Mirror Alice'. A large, octagonal mirror came into life in his hands. It was a shielding spell that was used for reflecting attacks back at the user. It was very useful as a quick diversion against opponents, but it was kind of a bit weak. Sure, it was a defensive spell, but its main use was directing elemental or magical attacks. Kinetic attacks, like punches or cannon balls, were able to get through it with ease. Although the physical attack had to be considerably strong.

It was really the only defensive spell that he knew, apart from the basic ones, which weren't very durable. This was shown when several hell hounds leapt up, striking the magical barriers. One lucky one struck against Markus' _Speculum Alice._ It held for the first few times but cracked and crumbled on the next one.

Markus swore. He just wanted to kill the damned thing and be done with it. "Hold the line!" Alabaster yelled. Markus followed through with that by bringing out Wavebreaker and slicing through the monster with one swing. It faded into golden dust. Several other Hecate children returned fire with their own attack spells, getting rid of the other hell hounds.

"You need to do better than that, Henderson," Lou said with a smirk on her face, her magical defence still holding. Markus scowled. Despite having come far in the arcane arts, the children of Hecate were still better than him at it. He wasn't jealous, since he knew that they had more experience wielding magic than he did, but it still sucked to be shown up by them.

"Shut it, Ellen. Can you still do large-scale offensive magic?" he countered, knowing the daughter of Hecate still didn't know much offensive magic. He forgot to mention that most of the Hecate kids, as well as other campers, were jealous of the spell he pulled against the Colchis bull a couple of days ago.

Lou scowled. "You don't have to rub it in. Ass," she grumbled to herself, making Markus chuckle. His mood turned sombre, however, when he spotted out of the corner of his eye Will Solace and a few Apollo kids struggling with healing the tree. They'd tried prayers, rituals, medicine, even poison to counteract the one in the tree. Nothing worked.

Markus walked up to Will. "Any luck?" he asked the son of Apollo.

Will shook his head. "Nothing. I've tried everything, every antidote and healing incantation I know. Nothing. I tried praying to dad but..." here, he scowled, and Markus didn't need to know that from him that Apollo didn't answer his prayers.

He sighed. At this rate, unless they could heal Thalia's tree and fix the magical barriers, camp would soon be overrun. Maybe they could find the object that could help them... and suddenly, Markus' eyes lit up. His mind went back to the argument that he had with Percy. Something about the Golden Fleece... it just might work.

 **XXX**

Later that night, Markus had a strange dream. It was like the other dreams Percy had described with Grover.

The satyr was wearing a wedding dress. ...Wow. Markus would've laughed if he didn't know that the situation was serious. It didn't seem to fit him very well. The gown was too long and the hem was caked with dried mud. The neckline kept falling off his shoulders. A tattered veil covered his face.

He was standing in a dank cave, lit only by torches. There was a cot in one corner and an old fashioned loom in the other, a length of white cloth half woven on the frame. And he was staring right at Markus, and what seemed to be another person, like it was a TV program he'd been waiting for. "Markus! Percy! Thank the gods!" he yelped. "Can you two hear me?"

Markus turned to look at the other person and saw it was in fact Percy. After having their argument, Markus wasn't exactly happy to see him, but he put it at the back of his mind for the moment.

Percy was slow to respond, still not believing what he was seeing…even in his dream. However, Markus was able to answer, "Wow, Grover. I haven't seen you for all this time, and you get married? And you didn't even tell us! Which one of us did you choose as your best man?"

"You're a riot," Grover deadpanned. "Percy! Please respond. Can you hear me as well?"

"I hear you," Percy said. "Grover, what's going on?"

From behind the boulder, a monstrous voice yelled, "Honeypie! Are you done yet?"

Grover flinched. He called out in falsetto, "Not quite, dearest! A few more days!"

"Bah! Hasn't it been two weeks yet?"

"N-no, dearest. Just five days. That leaves twelve more to go."

The monster was silent, maybe trying to do the math. He must've been worse at arithmetic than Percy was, because he said, "All right, but hurry! I want to SEEEEE under that veil, heheheheheh."

"Well at least you wear the pants of the relationship," Markus laughed.

"This isn't funny!" Grover roared, a bit freaked out as he turned back to the two boys. "You have to help me! No time! I'm stuck in this cave. On an island in the sea."

"Grover," Markus said with a deadpan, finished with his laughing, "there are a lot of islands in the sea."

"Where?" asked Percy.

"I don't know exactly! I went to Florida and turned left."

"Wait what?" Both boys asked, not getting it.

"It's a trap!" Grover said. "It's the reason no satyr has ever returned from this quest. He's a shepherd! And he has it. Its nature magic is so powerful it smells just like the great god Pan! The satyrs come here thinking they've found Pan, and they get trapped and eaten by Polyphemus!"

"Poly-who?" asked Percy.

"Wait, the cyclopes?" Markus asked, knowing the name.

"Right!" Grover said hurriedly. "I almost got away. I made it all the way to St. Augustine."

"But he followed you," Percy said, remembering his first dream. "And trapped you in a bridal boutique."

"... I still can't believe you did that," Markus said after thinking about it. He chuckled. "You got to admit that it's kind of funny."

"Don't remind me." Grover cried. "My first empathy link with the two of you must've worked then. Look, this bridal dress is the only thing keeping me alive. He thinks I smell good, but I told him it was just goat-scented perfume. Thank goodness he can't see very well. His eye is still half blind from the last time somebody poked it out. But soon he'll realize what I am. He's only giving me two weeks to finish the bridal train, and he's getting impatient!"

"Wait a minute. This Cyclops thinks you're-"

"Yes!" Grover wailed. "He thinks I'm a lady Cyclops and he wants to marry me!"

The two stared at their goat like friend in seriousness. Well, Markus bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing, but Grover sounded scared.

"What can we do to help?" Markus asked, finally getting rid of his laugh.

"I am in the Sea of Monster! GET ME OUTTA HERE!" Grover cried, making Markus' eye twitch that his friend had gotten stuck there of all places.

"Where is that?" asked Percy, confused as hell.

"Your best bet would be the Bermuda Triangle," Grover said before he looked at them nervously. "And, I am sorry about this you guys, but this empathy link ... well, I had no choice. Our emotions are connected now. If I die...,"

"Don't tell me, we'll die too." Percy deadpanned.

Markus' eye twitched. Well, that was just fan-fucking-tastic! Absolutely spectacular!

"Oh, well, perhaps not. You might live for years in a vegetative state. But, uh, it would be a lot better if you got me out of here," Grover said, making Markus' twitch grow stronger.

"Honeypie!" the monster bellowed. "Dinnertime! Yummy yummy sheep meat!"

Grover whimpered. "I have to go. Hurry!"

"Wait! You said 'it' was here. What?"

But Grover's voice was already growing fainter. "Sweet dreams. Don't let me die!"

With that, Grover disappeared from the dream, but Percy and Markus were still there. "What did he mean though?" Percy asked.

"It's the Golden Fleece," Markus said, making Percy's eyes widen. "It's the only thing that's... nature-y that could attract Grover." As Percy contemplated this, Markus spoke again. "Percy, let's wait to tell Annabeth and the others about this later. Knowing Tantalus, he won't care. So let's make sure either one of us win that race tomorrow. We could say that we want a quest to save Grover."

"Right. Good Luck." Percy said.

Markus smiled a little, his grudge with his brother all but forgotten. "Yeah, you too."

And with that, the two disappeared from their dream.

 **XXX**

The morning of the race was hot and humid. Fog lay low on the ground like sauna steam. Millions of birds were roosting in the trees - fat grey-and-white pigeons, except they didn't coo like regular pigeons. They made this annoying metallic screeching sound that reminded the campers of submarine radar.

The racetrack had been built in a grassy field between the archery range and the woods. Hephaestus's cabin had used the bronze bulls, which were completely tame since they'd had their heads smashed in and their back blown out, to plow an oval track in a matter of minutes.

There were rows of stone steps for the spectators - Tantalus, the satyrs, a few dryads, and all of the campers who weren't participating. Mr. D didn't show. He never got up before ten o'clock.

"Right!" Tantalus announced as the teams began to assemble. His face was still puffy from the beatdown that he had received from the nymphs, well as some scars from injuring himself many times . He still had the bruises as well. A naiad had brought him a big platter of pastries, and as Tantalus spoke, his right hand chased a chocolate eclair across the judge's table. "You all know the rules. A quarter-mile track. Twice around to win. Two horses per chariot. Each team will consist of a driver and a fighter. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!" Tantalus smiled at them like they were all naughty children. "Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!"

Markus rolled his eyes. That was _so_ harsh.

Beckendorf led the Hephaestus team onto the track. They had a sweet ride made of bronze and iron-even the horses, which were magical automatons like the Colchis bulls. They had no doubt that their chariot had all kinds of mechanical traps and more fancy options than a fully loaded Maserati.

Markus' and Silena chariot was pretty cool, even if it did have pink in it. There were sea shells on the side, with blue and pink swirled together on the front. It had the symbol of a trident and a dove encircled together. The wheels and the hull were painted bronze. It looked pretty magnificent. Tyson did good work.

Ares's chariot looked like someone just painted their fists red and punched the chariot instead of painting it. A blood tipped spear was in the centre of it. Clarisse and another Ares camper got onto their chariot.

Apollo's chariot was trim and graceful and completely gold, pulled by two beautiful palominos. Their fighter was armed with a bow, though he had promised not to shoot regular pointed arrows at the opposing drivers.

Hermes's chariot was green and kind of old-looking, as if it hadn't been out of the garage in years. It didn't look like anything special, but it was manned by the Stoll brothers, and but some campers shuddered to think what dirty tricks they'd schemed up.

That left Annabeth's and Percy's. Markus looked to see them arguing and he saw Annabeth pale a bit at one thing he said. "I told him to tell her later," Markus mumbled out. He sighed. "I am not surprised."

"You're not surprised at what?" Silena asked as she got in the chariot.

"Nothing," he muttered, not wanting to tell Silena about the Golden Fleece or Grover. It's not that he didn't trust her, it's just that he didn't want to give her false hope about the Fleece. It was only an idea, a possibility wasn't a definite solution.

The conch horn sounded.

"Charioteers!" Tantalus called. "To your mark!"

Markus and Silena gained a determined look on their face as they got ready to the race to begin. Silena was driving while he was fighting since he was the better fighter, plus he had magic to help take care of any attackers.

Looking around, Markus saw a multitude of odd looking evil pigeons on the edge of the track, surrounding them. He noticed that he himself and Percy were the only ones that noticed them. How the hell was that possible? "Please tell me you see those birds," he said, pointing to the flying birds.

"Yeah, just ignore them " Silena said. "They won't attack unless provoked. They are called Stymphalian birds."

"Wow, deadly chariot races, deadly birds. I'm sensing a pattern here," Markus pondered.

"Oh, shut up. I doubt anything bad is going to happen," Silena said. Markus palmed his face, hard. "What's the matter now?" she asked, hand on her hips.

"You just invoked Murphy's Law. You should _never_ do that," Markus said, removing his face from his palms. "Now you've doomed us all."

"Oh, come on, you're overexaggerating." Seeing his serious expression stay in place, Silena's face fell slightly. "... Oh gods, you're serious, aren't you?"

"Let's win this race, Silena," he said with mock enthusiasm. He turned on his chariot to ready it.

"Wait, hold on!" Silena exclaimed, but the chariot race was starting.

Soon, Tantalus signal for them all to go and go they did. They all shot off, determined to win.

However, they soon found out that this race was more of survival instead of what they first thought because the birds attacked. "I told you so," Markus said, while Silena had a freaked out expression on her face.

"Just shut up and kill those things!" Silena yelled out.

"With pleasure!" he said with delight. Seeing most of the killer birds heading towards them, he activated one of his favourite spells. " _Ionioi Hetairoi: Girisha Kaze_! (Army of the King: Greek Style!)" Soon, several kopis and xiphos appeared out of the Mist, slicing through the birds with ease and destroying a few who got too close to other campers.

Markus smirked. He changed the name 'Weapons Barrage' to Army of the King: Greek Style. He basically said it just now, just in Japanese. It was probably the only Japanese he knew. He got it from Fate/Stay Night, another one of his favourite animes. It wasn't the same attack, but Markus didn't mind. He could change the attack with magic later. Ahem, moving on...

Out of the corner of his eye, Markus saw Beckendorf get mobbed. His fighter tried to bat the birds away but he couldn't see anything. The chariot veered off course and plowed through the strawberry fields, the mechanical horses steaming. It was basically the same for the other chariots except for Percy's and Annabeth's, who seemed to be planning something to get rid of the annoying birds. He saw them head for the Big House to get something.

Seeing that most of the competitors were gone from this little race and were fighting for their lives, Markus decided to help out a bit. Seeing the ones around them were pretty much gone, Markus cast another spell. " _Sagitta Spiram Verberare_! (Arrow Spiral Barrage!) This spell was basically his Sagitta Spiralis, only with more magical arrows.

Dozens of magical arrows launched from his palms, destroying pigeon after pigeon, until only five were left. Markus cursed, hoping to take out more of them.

Thankfully, Percy and Annabeth decided to return and put on some music. Markus smirked. Annabeth really knew her stuff. Back in the day, Hercules uses sound to drive them off and it was still working. On a side note, he saw that Tantalus wasn't really do anything but chasing around some food like a mad man.

The two used Chiron's CD, as 'The All-Time Greatest Hits of Dean Martin' began to play. Suddenly the air was filled with violins and a bunch of guys moaning in Italian.

The demon pigeons went nuts. They started flying in circles, running into each other like they wanted to bash their own brains out. Then they abandoned the track altogether and flew skyward in a huge dark wave.

Markus pouted. While he didn't get to destroy the remaining birds, at least everyone else was safe.

"Now!" shouted Annabeth. "Archers!"

With clear targets, Apollo's archers had flawless aim. Most of them nocked one arrows each. Within minutes, the ground was littered with the dead bronze-beaked pigeons.

The camp was saved, but the wreckage wasn't pretty. Most of the chariots had been completely destroyed. Almost everyone was wounded, bleeding from multiple bird pecks. The kids from Aphrodite's cabin were screaming because their hairdos had been ruined and their clothes pooped on. Silena sighed as she looked at her siblings, glaring at Markus when he chuckled at their plight.

"Bravo!" Tantalus said, but he wasn't looking at Percy or Annabeth. "We have our first winner!"

He went over the finish line and awarded the golden laurel for the race to a stunned looking Clarisse. However, her, Markus and Silena were the last ones in the races and actually won... but Tantalus awarded Clarisse, seeming to spite Percy, Annabeth and Markus.

Then Tantalus turned and smiled at Percy, which was a bit creepy. "And now to punish the troublemakers who disrupted this race."

"Alright, screw this," Markus growled, jumping off his chariot and walking towards Tantalus. Silena tried to stop him, but it was futile.

Walking up behind the man, Markus tapped him on his shoulder. When Tantalus turned around, he was met with Markus' fist connecting with his nose.

Tantalus howled in pain as there was a loud crack, his nose broken. The force was so strong, or Tantalus was just that weak since Markus didn't even hit him that hard, that he instantly collapsed onto the ground, falling backwards. He seemed to be unconscious.

"Huh," Markus blinked while looking at his fist in wonder. "Damn, he was weak." Looking up to see the shocked faces of everyone around him, he turned to the shocked face of Percy. He gave his brother a thumbs up. "At least you don't get punished! Your welcome!"

Markus ignored the deadpanned looks he received from everyone around him.

 **Done and dusted. I'm so glad.**

 **Hello to you all. Here with another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm quite proud at how it came out.**

 **We see Tantalus getting his ass pranked badly, new weapons from different games added into the story (which will be expanded on and shown in later chapters) and a brotherly spat between Percy and Markus. Shocker.**

 **I'm not bashing Percy in that part. I just expanded a little, just a little, on his feelings towards Tyson at the beginning. Like canon, he'll warm up to him later, obviously.**

 **Also, I'll be focusing on updating Arcane Chaos more than Celestial Ascension from now on. I'll still update it regularly, as normal, but there may be more updates of this story in the future than Celestial Ascension.**

 **Also, the changing of 'Weapons Barrage' to '** **Ionioi Hetairoi: Girisha Kaze' was an idea given to me by DylanTheDemon. I preferred the name, so I changed it. Props go to him.**

 **Thank you all. Read and Review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24:**

While Percy and Annabeth were trying to avoid Tantalus from giving them dish-washing duty, Markus was talking with Silena at the Aphrodite table, having been invited by her. While Markus was happy to talk to Silena, he wasn't happy that he had to sit at a table that had... ugh, pink. Plus, Silena's siblings weren't like her. They were vain, chatty and so _fucking_ annoying. Seriously, if he had to hear the boys talk about how good they looked, or what girl they found cute, or how the girls liked to put on their dozen layers of make-up, he planned to kill himself. The boy that he punched from before was trying to glare at him angrily, but wilted when Markus merely looked at him. He smirked when he saw that.

 _That's right, bitch_ , Markus thought to himself, cackling like a madman in his mind. _Fear me._

Tantalus tried to punish Markus for punching him in the face during the chariot race, but Markus didn't go to any of them. Mr. D didn't make too much of a fuss, and Markus definitely didn't fear Tantalus, so he didn't get punished. When he tried to go to Markus to punish him personally, Markus just raised his fist threateningly. Tantalus winced, his wound acting up in remembrance. Hell, his nose looked like a squashed grape, making Markus, and everyone who saw it, laugh.

 _Ahhh, it's so nice to have a good whipped bitch_ , Markus thought to himself gleefully, a sadistic smile on his face. _Now, I just need to teach him tricks and I'm happy._

A snapping sound in front of him snapped him out of his fantasies. "Oi, Markus. Save your thoughts of embarrassing Tantalus later," Silena said, annoyed. "Tell me what you were saying before the chariot race."

"How the hell did you know what I was thinking?" Markus asked, puzzled. He wasn't going to deny what he was thinking, but was wondering on how she knew what he was thinking.

"Oh, please," Silena scoffed, a small smile on her face. "Your expression was predictable." Markus' face turned to shock. Him? Predictable? Bullshit. "But anyway,what were you saying when you said 'nothing'?"

Markus sighed. He had no problem telling her. It was just that he didn't want the knowledge becoming public. Call him paranoid, but he wasn't eager about everyone knowing about his friend's situation. Sure, he was sitting at the Aphrodite table, where the other Aphrodite kids might overhear them, but he needed someone to talk to about this.

So he decided to tell her, her siblings overhearing the conversation. He had told them about his dream about Grover and the table was in deep thought. Most of them did not know the Grover that well and could not give him an answer. Silena spoke up though. "Maybe he found something. I'm not sure because I really don't know. Your best bet to go and ask Mr. D about it."

Markus scoffed. "And get rebuffed? Hell no. My best bet would be to pressure Tantalus into issuing a quest. He'll likely pick Clarisse as the one who leads it. And as much as I hate Clarisse, I want to save Grover."

"Clarisse isn't that bad," Silena said with a frown. "She's a bit gruff, but you can depend on her in most situations."

"Oh, yeah. You guys are actually best friends," Markus commented. He frowned in thought. "Still don't see it."

"We just clicked," Silena said with a shrug, confusing Markus. How the hell did those two click? Silena was nice, friendly and pleasant to be around. Clarisse was... Clarisse. "I can convince her to take you along the quest. I know it might cause difficulties, but if it comes down to it, please get along with her."

"More like hates my guts..." Markus muttered after she had spoken, causing Silena to reach forward and swat his arm angrily. "But thank you. You'll need a miracle to pull it off, but thank you."

"No problem," she smiled, ignoring the teasing looks her siblings were giving her. Markus was doing the same thing as well.

 **XXX**

That night at the campfire, Apollo's cabin led the sing-along. They tried to get everybody' spirits up, but it wasn't easy after that afternoon's bird attack. They all sat around a semicircle of stone steps, singing halfheartedly and watching the bonfire blaze while the Apollo guys strummed their guitars and picked their lyres.

They did all the standard camp numbers: "Down by the Aegean," "I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa," "This Land is Minos's Land." The bonfire was enchanted, so the louder you sang, the higher it rose, changing colour and heat with the mood of the crowd.

Dionysus left early. After suffering through a few songs, he muttered something about how even pinochle with Chiron had been more exciting than this. Then he gave Tantalus a distasteful look and headed back toward the Big House.

When the last song was over, Tantalus said, "Well, that was lovely!" When he spoke, a few campers snickered. Because of the punch Markus had given him, his voice sounded a bit nasally. Coupled with his squashed nose, he sounded like one of the dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Who was it... Grumpy? No. Dopey? No, that wasn't it...

He came forward with a toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to pluck it off, real casual-like. But before he could touch it, the marshmallow flew off the stick. Tantalus made a wild grab, but the marshmallow committed suicide, diving into the flames. That actually had Markus chuckling. He didn't even need to prank the man to make fun of him. He did that perfectly on his own.

Tantalus turned back toward the group, smiling coldly. "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."

"Sir." Percy cut in, making Markus give him a knowing look.

Tantalus's eye twitched. "Our kitchen boy has something to say?"

"Said the one with the squashed tomato on his face," Markus muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

All of the campers laughed at that while Tantalus turned to Markus with a furious expression. Markus just raised his fist in a punching gesture, making Tantalus flinch. That got some to laugh even harder.

After getting rid of his laughter, Percy looked ready to say what he had to say. He stood and looked at Annabeth. Thank the gods, she stood up with him. He then looked to Markus and he nodded. Markus knew what was going on and was pushing for Percy to come out it with already. He had to smile at that. "We have an idea to save the camp."

Dead silence, but He could tell he had gotten everybody's interest, because the campfire flared bright yellow.

"Indeed," Tantalus said blandly. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots-"

"The Golden Fleece," Percy said. "We know where it is."

The flames burned orange. Before Tantalus could stop him, he blurted out the dream about Grover and Polyphemus's island, with Naruto confirming because he was connected as well. Annabeth stepped in and reminded everybody what the Fleece could do. It sounded more convincing coming from her.

"The Fleece can save the camp," she concluded. "I'm certain of it."

"Nonsense," said Tantalus. "We don't need saving." Everybody stared at him until Tantalus started looking uncomfortable. "Man, are you high?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow, getting some campers to snicker at his comment.

"Besides," the man added quickly, "the Sea of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look."

"Actually we do." Markus said, getting a smirk from Percy.

"You do?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, you can thank the Grey Sisters for that. Tell them Percy."

Percy smiled. It seemed that Markus knew what he was talking about. He should have known. "30, 31, 75, 12,"

"Ooo-kay," Tantalus said. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."

"They're sailing coordinates," Percy said. "Latitude and longitude. I, uh, learned about it in social studies." Annabeth looked impressed and so was Markus. Percy actually knew something smart? "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. They're right! The Gray Sisters gave us those coordinates. That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea of Monsters. We need a quest!"

"Wait just a minute," Tantalus said.

But the campers took up the chant. "We need a quest! We need a quest!"

The flames rose higher.

"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted.

"WE NEED A QUEST! WE NEED A QUEST!"

"You can't escape this, Tantalus." Markus said with a smirk, which made the man's eye twitch because that was right.

"Fine!" Tantalus shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"

"YES!"

"Very well," he agreed. "I shall authorise a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying."

Finally they were getting somewhere. Percy looked happy about that. Markus smiled. He didn't even care if he wasn't going on the quest. At least progress was made. Though he did wish that he was on the quest so he could save Grover.

"I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle!" Tantalus announced. "And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious."

Tantalus looked at Annabeth, Percy, and Markus as if he wanted to flay them alive. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races and courageous in the defence of the camp. You shall lead this quest... Clarisse!"

Markus rolled his eyes. Tantalus was so predictable.

The fire flickered a thousand different colors. The Ares cabin started stomping and cheering, "CLARISSE! CLARISSE!" Markus quirked an eyebrow. He wondered if Silena was able to pull through for him.

Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. Then she swallowed, and her chest swelled with pride. "I accept the quest!"

"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me and Markus!"

"Sit down!" yelled one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"

"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" another said.

Clarisse glared at Percy. "I accept the quest!" she repeated. "I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save the camp!"

The Ares campers cheered even louder. Annabeth protested, and the other Athena campers joined in. Everybody else started taking sides - shouting and arguing and throwing marshmallows. Markus sighed and kept quiet as he observed the scene.

Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats!" The tone he used creeped out Markus and stunned Percy.

Sit down!" he ordered. "And I will tell you a ghost story." Markus narrowed his eyes. He knew that this wasn't going to be a simple ghost story. It sounded dangerous, just from hearing the tone of the man.

"Once upon a time there was a mortal king who was beloved of the gods!" Tantalus put his hand on his chest, and many got the feeling he was talking about himself.

"This king," he said, "was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe - just one little doggie bag, mind you - the gods punished him. They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! And, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children - just - like - you."

He pointed a crooked finger at several people in the audience, including Markus and Percy.

"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked softly. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there were no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"

No one dared answer. The firelight glowed dark blue, reflecting evilly on Tantalus's crooked face. Markus looked disgusted at what the man did to his own flesh and blood.

"Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife," Tantalus croaked. "They did indeed. But he'd had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never again spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what? Rumour has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for a chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so... are there any more complaints, before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"

Silence. That was what filled the air for a few seconds. Naturally Markus, who refused to show fear - least of all to Tantalus, of all people - decided to step up.

He cupped his hands to his mouth and spoke loudly. "Boooo!" His speech made a few people jump at the large sound, but Markus ignored them. "Booo, I say. Was that supposed to be a horror story? That was pathetic!" He called out with a thumbs-down gesture. "If I wanted to hear this kind of shit, I could of gone down to the Underworld and asked Hades, the undead bastard that he is, a fucking knock-knock joke, and still get a better reaction than the ones we have!"

The ground rumbled at Markus' comment about Hades, but he ignored it. A few campers looked scared at what Markus had just said. A few others, seeing the reason why he was doing this, nodded encouragingly, seemingly gaining strength from his courage. Or display of brass balls, whichever one you preferred. A few others, namely ones from the Hermes cabin, laughed loudly at his declaration, filling the previously silent atmosphere with laughter.

Markus smiled, seeing his ploy work. Tantalus glared at him heavily for his actions, as if he was going to eat Markus himself. "You... are a very annoying brat," he decided to say. He sneered. "Better be careful, boy. Otherwise you'll be the one who becomes my dinner at some point." He bared his yellow and grimy teeth at Markus.

Markus raised an eyebrow, not impressed. "Oh? So the bitch can continue yapping? How cute. Guess I just need to whip him even more to get him to heel like a good puppy." Tantalus snarled at his response like an actual dog. Markus just smiled and gave him the middle finger, causing some "Ooohs" to erupt from the crowd.

Tantalus turned to Clarisse stiffly, as if he didn't just get his ass handed to him verbally. "The Oracle, my dear." he said, gritting his teeth. "Go on."

She shifted uncomfortably, like even she didn't want glory at the price of being Tantalus's pet. However, she got a few words out. "I… plan on taking... Markus with me." She said the last part reluctantly, as if she was forced to get the words out.

Huh, Silena managed to make it work. Markus planned to thank her at some point.

"GO!" Tantalus snarled, not happy.

She bowed awkwardly and hurried off toward the Big House, but not before motioning, reluctantly, for Markus to follow her. Sighing, he stood up, but not before zooming to where Silena was, giving her a big hug that caused her to squeak in surprise, and then zoomed off to join Clarisse in following her. If he'd looked back, Markus could've seen Katie's jealous look towards Silena, who was still blushing at what Markus had done.

However, Markus did hear what Tantalus had to say next.

"What about you, Percy Jackson?" Tantalus asked. "No comments from our dishwasher?"

There was no answer. It seemed he was not going to give this sick… monster the satisfaction of an answer. Markus smiled at that. He motioned for Clarisse to go on ahead, making her grunt.

"Good," Tantalus said. "And let me remind everyone - no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries ... well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that. The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well."

With a wave of Tantalus's hand, the fire was extinguished, and the campers trailed off toward their cabins in the dark.

Markus walked up to his brother, who was standing up and ready to go to the Poseidon cabin. "So what are you going to do now?"

Percy looked to his brother. He could not help but feel a little jealous. Markus was going on the quest to save the camp and he wasn't. Both of them had the same dream, so why was he the only one who was picked to go with Clarisse? But he didn't feel that way for long because he didn't want to cause another fight with his brother. Despite Markus' nonchalant attitude, he knew that he was still disappointed with him about Tyson. Now that he thought about it, he guessed that he was a... blind dumbass, as Markus would say. He knew that what he did was unjustified, and planned to resolve that.

A snapping sound snapped Percy out of his thoughts. "Yo. Earth to Blue Boy. You still there?" Markus asked him.

Percy smiled, more amused than annoyed at his brother calling him by his nickname. "I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.

"You know, I won't stop you," Markus said. "I know you are stubborn, and want to help the camp, and you want to save Grover. If you go and we find you, I got your back."

Percy smiled. He was glad to have a brother with him. Especially Markus. "Thanks, bro. And I... uh, I want to apologize about what happened. With Tyson."

Markus' face stayed blank for a while, making Percy worry a bit. And then he smiled. "So you finally came out with it? That's good. But apologize to Tyson, not me. Then we're good." With that, Markus gave him a brief 'brotherly' hug, and then zipped away.

 **XXX**

Clarisse looked a bit scared after the tale that Tantalus told them about and walking at night to the Big House where the creepy Oracle lived would make anyone scare shitless. Then she saw Markus waiting for her, and her fear disappeared. Well, almost. "Don't think I did this for you, punk," Clarisse said with a sneer. Ah. That was the Clarisse that he knew and hated. "The only reason I'm taking you along is because Silena convinced me."

"And it was common sense," Markus added. "I'm a son of Poseidon. The Golden Fleece is in the _Sea_ of Monsters. It was a no brainer."

Clarisse's pig-like glare showed that she didn't want to admit that fact. "Yes, that," she grit out.

Markus shrugged. "That's cool. You can take the credit for retrieving the Fleece. I just want to save Grover."

Clarisse blinked at that, as if she didn't expect Markus to say that. Then she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "You saying that you don't care about camp?" she growled out.

Markus sighed in exasperation, shaking his head. "No, that's not it. I do want to save camp. All I'm saying is that since it's your quest, you get the credit. I do want to save camp, but I also want to rescue Grover."

"Oh," Clarisse blinked. And then her usual sneer returned to her face, because why not? "Good. At least you know what's going on." Markus rolled his eyes at that. Can't she just say 'thank you'? Then again, she wouldn't be Clarisse if she did. Why were her and Silena friends again?

Then both of them noticed that were at the door to the Oracle. Clarisse took a deep breath and said, "Here goes nothing."

Markus tried offering a quip to lighten the mood, but then decided not to. He opened the door for her and they both went in. The boy felt a chill run up his spine. The Oracle freaked him out the first time he went with Percy, and now he had to deal with it again.

Markus didn't want to describe how the Oracle looked. She looked the exact same as last time. Once again the green mist spewed out of the Oracle's mouth and it turned into the image of Ares. He was already not liking this.

Then the image of Ares started speaking in the voice of the Oracle:

 _You shall sail the iron ships with warrior's of bone,_

 _You shall find what you seek and make it your own,_

 _But despair for your life entombed within stone,_

 _And fail without friends, to fly home alone._

When the Oracle finished, 'Ares' faded away into green mist, which returned into the mouth of the Oracle. When it was over, the two quickly made their way out of the Big House and to the circle of cabins. Markus turned to Clarisse. He could see that, despite the brave face she put on, she was nervous, even scared. He could relate with her. Seeing the Oracle was one thing. Hearing it speak was a whole new thing altogether.

He couldn't comfort her; Clarisse wasn't that type of girl. He didn't know her well enough to encourage her with words. Sighing, he decided to focus on the quest. More specifically transportation. "So how do you plan on us getting to the Sea of Monsters? It's your quest."

Clarisse turned to Markus with an incredulous look on her face, as if she couldn't believe he could ask that after seeing the Oracle. But then she was able to school her features, and Markus could almost detect a grateful look on her face. It was as if she could tell that he was deliberately changing the subject for her. "Don't worry about it, Marcie. I'll take care of it. Just because your dad's the god of the sea doesn't mean I can't get us a ride. Poseidon's not the only one with ways across the sea."

"Markus," he corrected, almost on reflex. Now he knew that she was back to her old self. He waved his hand dismissively. "I trust you to get it sorted. We'll meet at Half-Blood Hill in the morning. I'll pack my stuff, and I trust that you'll get yours. Until then."

Clarisse nodded, looking a bit shocked. Markus guessed that she was a little surprised that he trusted her to do her thing. Markus already knew that, even though Clarisse was a bitch at almost all times, she wanted to save camp as much as him. So he wasn't worried about her doing things half-assed. "Got it. Night, punk."

Markus waved goodnight to her, heading towards the Poseidon cabin to sleep. He already knew Percy was going on without them, so he wasn't concerned about saying bye. He just curled up in his bed and slept.

 **XXX**

The next morning, everyone found out that Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson had apparently run away from camp in the middle of the night.

Markus wasn't surprised at this, since he had suspected the two demigods to run off, though he didn't expect Tyson to go with them as well. He hoped that the young cyclopes was alright.

A disgruntled Mr. D said if they came back, he'd turn them into squirrels and run them over in an SUV.

Markus wasn't really worried, because he knew that the group would be alright. Well, partially. Okay, he was extremely worried. But he was more worried with packing his stuff for the quest. He received Beowulf from Beckendorf, which was finished. The forger said that he'd get all the other weapons ready. Markus thanked him profusely, and even supplied the guy with a couple of drachma.

He then went to the Hecate campers, who charmed the weapon to make it almost similar to how it was in the Devil May Cry games, with his description, of course. Alabaster even charmed Beowulf with strengthening and resistant charms, as well as helping Markus put runes on Beowulf, with 'Φως', meaning 'Light', on the sides of the arms and legs. However, Alabaster wrote the runes a bit differently than Markus did. He added light absorption runes and charms that Markus had no idea about. Sometimes that he forgot how gifted Alabaster was in the arcane arts.

Lou was even able to give him a book on a guide to charms, to keep him occupied during the quest. Markus thanked her profusely for that **(A.N. - The runes used in the fic are identical to the ones used in Harry Potter. And yes, I plan on using most, if not all of them).**

Now Markus was sitting at the Poseidon table in the mess hall, chowing down on some early breakfast. He also planned to sneak some more food with him in his rucksack. He didn't want things to happen like it did during his first quest, where their supplies were destroyed from Zeus' bolt. Thanks, uncle.

Shrugging, Markus put on his aviator jacket, slung on his rucksack and headed down to the docks. They were heading out to the Sea of Monsters after all, it only made sense that that's where he'd find Clarisse. Well that and it was where the few other early morning risers were streaming towards.

Waiting at the docks was quite possibly the strangest ship Markus had ever seen. It rode low in the water like a submarine, its deck was plated with iron and at the halfway point of its hull was a trapezoid-shaped casemate with slats on each side for cannons. It flew a flag emblazoned with a wild boar and spear on a blood red field. Lining the deck were zombies soldiers with shimmering faces that only partially covered their skulls, like the ghouls he'd seen in the Underworld guarding Hades' palace.

Along its moss covered prow was the ship's faded name, CSS Birmingham.

Markus whistled. He'd never been on a ship, which was kind of embarrassing, being the son of Poseidon. But he could appreciate a nice vessel when he saw one.

Clarisse, decked out in full Greek battle armour, was barking orders at the undead sailors as they prepared the vessel.

"Damn," he whistled in appreciation. "Where'd you get this?" he asked loudly, pushing his way through the crowd of awed campers.

Hearing him, Clarissed turned and with clear pride explained."This is a gift from my father, Ares, to help with my quest. It's an ironclad, a Civil War battle cruiser. It'll be our transportation to the Sea of Monsters."

"And the zombies?"

"The spirits of the defeated. Serving my father in the afterlife is their curse for losing in war."

"That sounds nice," Markus replied sarcastically. Clarisse seemed to ignore what he said, and instead turned her gaze to the ship, still looking on with pride.

"You got all you needed?" she asked. Markus nodded. "Yep. Rearin' and ready to go." Then Markus turned to look around, searching for their third member. "Hey, where's the third quester?"

Clarisse just shifted uncomfortably, before replying in a strained voice. "There isn't one. We don't need one. Besides, the more campers to defend camp, the better."

Markus just raised his eyebrows, skeptical. "Really?"

"Yes, now quit questioning me, Henderson, we're losing sunlight!"

"Not leaving without getting our blessing, are we?" Tantalus said as he and Mr. D strolled up.

Markus cursed. He'd wished he could make it without having to see either of the two. But he guessed he just wasn't that lucky.

"You mean mine," Mr. D said.

"O-Of course, Lord Dionysus. Your blessing." Tantalus said deferentially.

Markus was ignoring them. He was reading his charms book and was looking up all the different charms that could be used. Oooh, a banishing charm? That sounded fun. He quickly memorized how to perform it. He was always a quick study when it came to magic, since he loved it so much.

"Though I don't see why I should possibly bless anyone in this crowd."

"I feel the love, Mr. D," Markus muttered sarcastically, still nose-deep into his book.

The god seemed to ignore his comment. "Well, let's get this over with. We're wasting precious time here as we stand."

"Too true, Lord Dionysus."

"Are you going to polish his shoes next? I think I see a speck of dust there," Markus commented, not even looking up from his book. Huh, he was like that character from Naruto. Who was it... Kakashi? Yeah, that was it.

Tantalus turned to glare at him, but Markus continued to ignore him, still reading his book. "I especially hope that you die painfully out there, boy," the man snarled.

"Mmhmm. Fuck you too, fuckface."

Tantalus balked at the language used, as well as the rest of the campers around.

"Markus, wait!" A voice shouted from the crowd.

Markus actually looked up from his book to look at who was calling him. He saw that Silena was squeezing her way through the crowd, with Katie following her. It warmed his heart to see his close friends wishing him off. Though, he did feel slightly guilty of not seeing Katie as much. He did visit her most of the time, but not as much as Silena.

The daughter of Aphrodite gave him a dazzling smile. "Just wanted to wish you luck." She gave Markus a firm hug, surprising Markus. He didn't think she was going to miss him this much. But why did she seem, desperate? As if she was actually saying goodbye?

When she removed herself from the hug, Markus turned up to look at her face. She seemed almost guilty, like she did something that she now regretted. But what?

Markus saw Silena mouth something to herself. _I'm sorry._ Sorry for what? What did she do?

Katie stepped forward and also gave Markus a hug, this time with no guilty expression on her face. Markus hugged her back, seeing her smile and wish him good luck. This made Markus smile as well.

"Are you done, girls?" Tantalus said dismissively, "They do have to leave you know." His tone was mocking.

Katie turned to slightly glare at the activities director. But for some reason, that was too much for Silena and she burst into tears. She started to rub her eyes. "I know, I'm sorry." She let out a sob. "I just I... I messed up."

Markus, and everyone really, were taken aback by this. Hell, Mr. D raised an eyebrow in surprise. The only one unaffected was Tantalus who just looked on unmoved.

Markus stepped forward to comfort her, but she stepped back, shaking her head. "It's okay... It's alright." Beckendorf walked forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to take her back to her cabin. Markus nodded in thanks to Beckendorf, who nodded back. He was asking her what was wrong and offering encouragement that whatever it was couldn't be that bad, but that just seemed to make Silena cry harder.

"Yes, yes," Tantalus waved his hand in their direction. "Take the bawling mess out of here."

Markus leveled a sharp look to Tantalus. He could take him being a dick before, but this? Tantalus just fucked up, and Markus was going to give him his just desserts.

"Alright, fuck this!" Markus exclaimed, turning fully to Tantalus, who raised an eyebrow. Markus grinnned menacingly, making a shiver run down the man's back. "I've already had enough of your shit. So, bye bye!" Markus held up his hand, and performed the charm that he just learned. "Exilium: Inferis! (Banish: the Underworld!)"

White mist started to appear from Tantalus' feet, startling him. "W-what is this?" he yelled out, shocked. The mist started to come up to his ankles, then his shins, thighs, waist, and up to his chest. The mist kept on coming upwards.

Markus smiled deviously. "Oh, just a banishment charm! Nifty little thing. Say hi to Uncle Hades for me, 'kay?" Waving his hand mockingly, Markus saw the white mist envelop Tantalus completely, breaking down his essence into little particles that seeped into the ground. In under a minute, there was nothing left of the former king.

Markus smirked. The banishment charm, the one he used, worked mostly for spirits of the damned. Actual physical objects or people were much harder to do, and took a large amount of magic. Just banishing Tantalus took up quite a bit of strength, but he stood straight. The charm was written in Latin, as most charms were written in. Oh, he was going to have so much fun with charms!

It was silent for a beat until all the campers broke out into cheers. Hell, even the undead sailors were clapping, awed at such a good show. Mr. D though was the exception. He just looked annoyed, as he always did.

"You didn't even banish him right. It took much too long. Honestly, boy," he heaved a sigh. "I had a glorious idea. Now I have to drag him back up." The campers looked horrified at that. "But I want to nap first, so as you say; whatever."

Clarisse looked... dare Markus say it, impressed. "Not bad, Henderson. Now you're almost tolerable if you keep pulling stuff out like that."

"Almost tolerable?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. He just banished a spirit to the Underworld. A low level spirit, sure, but still! That was something noteworthy! He did _not_ deserve a 'barely tolerable'.

"Can you lot just leave already?" Mr. D grunted, glaring at the two with bloodshot eyes.

"Oh, right," Markus said slowly with a blink. "Sorry, forgot you were there."

Mr. D looked like he was about to say something, probably to curse him, but Markus reacted quicker. He grabbed Clarisse by the shoulder and bolted towards the ship. "Well, all aboard!" Clarisse took the hint and quickly began issuing orders to her undead sailors to set sail even as the questers rushed on board the ironclad.

Within a matter of minutes (with Markus _not_ turned into a dolphin and/or driven insane) two demigods and a whole skeletal crew were on their way.

Off to the Sea of Monsters!

 **XXX**

The start of the long journey wasn't so bad, if you didn't count Markus getting annoyed at the undead sailors.

The reason was because he found that that, because he was a son of Poseidon, he almost instinctively knew how to operate a ship. How to pull the sail, how to operate an astrolabe, all of it. Huh, another cool power.

It started off like this:

At the start of the journey, Markus walked over the the zombie plotting the course and frowned. "That's wrong," Markus said grabbing the map from the zombie's hand along with the astrolabe, a lens attached to a big circular disk with several measurements on it.

"Excuse me" the zombie said, "but I do believe I am the sailing master on this ship. and I know that I am completely-"

"-Incompetent," Markus finished for him. "This isn't the tool you need by the way," he added, throwing the astrolabe to the side before picking up a sextant that was lying next to the captain zombie. " _This_ is what you need."

Markus then began using the navigational tool and rewrote the entire map plotting the right course to the Sea of Monsters. All the knowledge of the sea flowed into him like second nature, and in a way it was. Markus completely understood everything, the current's the wind patterns, where to go and what to avoid, everything. He never knew that he had a useful power like this. He'd make a damn good sailor.

When he finished, he turned to Clarisse, tossing her the map. "Here, follow the instructions I wrote down exactly."

Clarisse looked at the map, stunned. She then looked up at him. "How the hell do you know all of this?!"

Markus shrugged. "Son of the sea god. Told you it was a no-brainer taking me along. The quest would go to hell without me, admit it."

Clarisse looked reluctant, but agreed that having him on board would be useful.

Oh, and the other reason the undead hated him was because he was from New York, born and raised. Well, the raised part was a little questionable, but still. They even called him a dirty Yankee. Markus figured out that they hated that fact was because they were Confederates. Dead Confederates, but that still counted.

As the ship continued to set sail, Clarisse had told Markus to find a hammock. Plopping his bag on the hammock he picked out, he returned to the deck to find the old ship seemed to be riding pretty smoothly.

Markus headed over to the rail to lean against it. Watching the rocking of the waves, Markus could already tell that he would enjoy watching them. It was weird: he'd never seen actual waves on a ship before, and he could already tell that he felt right at him, being a son of the sea. He felt relaxed, as if he was lying in a bed, asleep. Markus intended to get more moments like this. When was the last time he actually relaxed?

And then he remembered that he was on a quest to save camp. To save Grover. Immediately, he felt himself get serious. To focus on the task at hand, because it felt too relaxing watching the sea, he decided to train.

"Henderson!" Clarisse's voice barked from the bridge. "Front and center!"

Markus sighed. Just when he was about to do something productive. Going through the ship up to the door to the bridge, and ignoring the undead glaring at him for being a Yank, Markus entered the bridge.

He saw Clarisse looking over a bunch of old maps as she told the skeleton at the wheel what they were possibly going to run into.

"Hey, you need me to do something?" The child of Poseidon asked.

Clarisse looked up from her maps. "Yeah, we've got another day until we're near Florida. I want to talk to you about how this is going to work." She took a seat and nudged her chin, indicating for jim to do the same.

Taking the seat, Clarisse began to talk strategy. It was something he'd expect more from Annabeth, but it seemed Clarisse was good at this stuff too. She had some good ideas on how the two of them could work together, like how she wanted Markus to go for both long-ranged and close combat for most of the enemies, while she dealt with them herself. For the first five minutes, Markus was nodding in agreement to what was being said. But then she started to rattle off ideas like shock and awe and guerilla tactics. Things that Markus couldn't understand. Markus understood the importance of strategy, but he was more of a go-in-guns-blazing kind of guy. He wasn't much of a thinker fighter. Sure, he could come up with ideas on the fly that were good, but still ended up with him punching problems.

"And that's it. Got it?"

"Yes," he nodded, even if he didn't get it.

Clarisse's eye bored into hers, she shook her head a little disbelievingly, but nodded anyway. "Good, go up to the deck and keep an eye out for any monsters would you? Your magic could come in useful for that."

Markus raised an eyebrow. "In the observation deck?"

Clarisse nodded. Sighing, Markus made his way to the observation deck, taking over the post from one sailor, relieving him of his services. With a sigh, Markus resigned himself to his new position. Honestly, he was the fucking son of Poseidon? So why the hell was he taking post at the top when he should be on the deck, taking control of the whole ship?

Markus sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have convinced Silena to let him go on the quest.

 **XXX**

Markus was now on the deck, drawing some plans for the future.

After a couple of hours in the observation deck, Markus grew bored. Like, seriously bored. So bored that his ADHD ran out of things to take interest in. So he went onto the deck to train, since he was going crazy. He did roughly a hundred push-ups and sit-ups, which he kind of cheated by using water - but only a small amount, honest - and then practised his taekwondo stances and techniques. After a while, he got a notebook and detailed his future plans.

His 'plans' were basically ideas that he could use to better himself: from augmenting his limbs with magic to creating new weapons for his _Ionioi Hetairoi_ spell. He even had ideas to implement something he watched from Bleach. The Sonido technique. What he hypothesised was that he could send a burst of kinetic energy from his gut to his feet. Then he could instantly move at almost supersonic speeds. This was different from his usual running. He would send only a burst rather than a stream of kinetic energy to the soles of his feet, moving at supersonic speeds. He hadn't practised with it because it was dangerous, and he didn't know the results of what could happen. Hell, he could probably end up with half his body in place if he were to move at such speeds unprepared. He also wanted to get the jet-like effect the Sonido technique had, because it was so cool.

Markus paused in his planning, taking time to think on a new development. Taking out his Chimera knife from his backpack, he made a rather big cut on his thumb, causing the wound to bleed. He ignored the pain and instead concentrated on the flowing blood. He held out his hand, focusing. A few seconds later, the blood responded to his control, forming into a mini-trident out of Markus' will, the size of a paperclip.

Markus nodded, satisfied with his progress. Ever since his talk with Ryūjin about using his powers, he thought about the one thing that had been on his mind: blood control. It made sense that it was within his grasp of power, since 80% of blood is composed of water. But he wasn't sure if he could manipulate it at first. But after a couple of practise tries, he was finally successful. The only thing was that he only had himself to test his abilities on. He couldn't test it on anyone else. Either because it sometimes didn't work, or he didn't get the time to do it. But he could imagine the power behind his ability. If he could control the blood of every living thing, he could be practically unstoppable. Okay, that was a bit of a stretch, and he probably couldn't control _everyone_ , but still. He could imagine the power, the ease he would feel...

Markus didn't know it, but he gained a slight hungry light in his eyes, and a small, creepy smile on his face.

He was interrupted from his inner monologue as his gaze drifted towards several forests in the distance. His eyes perked up at the sound of something big moving through the thick Virginia swamp forests that they were passing by. Whatever it was, it was something really big, Markus could tell by the trees it was knocking over. He looked towards the shore, excitedly peering down his spyglass (this was the first interesting thing to have happened in ages!) and he eyed a hydra of all things.

Standing up to alert the crew, he shouted out to the group who were tailoring to other various tasks. "We got a hydra on the shore! Prepare yourselves!"

Markus heard Clarisse shout for crews to arm the cannons and for someone to get her a spyglass. She made no comment about how Markus was supposed to be on the observation deck, which was good.

Standing next to her, Markus offered his to the daughter of the war, who took it with a vicious smile of delight at the prospect of violence. But whatever she saw through the spyglass quickly caused it to fade into a dangerous scowl. "What are they doing here!?" She roared with anger, as she turned towards the captain. "I want those cannons ready yesterday!"

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted and shouted at his soldiers.

"What's going on?" Markus asked, confused as to what could enrage Clarisse so much. Well, more than usual.

"Jackson and Chase." Clarisse looked furious, the spyglass cracking in her grasp. "Get us closer!"

"Wait, what?" Markus asked, surprised. He knew that the two were going on the quest, but he didn't think that they would get into trouble so quickly. "We have to help them!"

Clarisse ignored him as the ironclad chugged closer to the riverbank, she was entirely focused on what was happening on the shore. "There! Prepare the thirty-two-pounder!"

"They're too close, m'lady!" The captain shouted as he pointed at their fellow demigods.

"Damn the heroes!" The girl said. "Full steam ahead!"

"No!" Markus yelled, grabbing her shoulder. "Are you insane?!"

"Aye, m'lady."

Clarisse shook off Markus' hands from her shoulder, gazing ahead.

"Fire at will, Captain!"

"Hit the dirt!" Markus heard Annabeth yell. At the same time, Markus quickly covered his ears. Even then, in the wake of the very loud BOOM, the child of Poseidon was still left with his head ringing from the loud and intense noise.

There was a flash of light, a column of smoke, and the hydra was promptly reduced to bloody chunks, showering Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson with nasty green slime.

"Gross!" screamed Annabeth.

"Steamship!" yelled Tyson excitedly.

Percy looked as though he was hacking out gunpowder from his lungs.

Markus shook his head. "Honestly, guys. Can you guys not get into trouble every time I see you?" At both teens' incredulous looks, he scoffed. "Oh, come on. You know it's true."

With being painted in monster guts, the demigods didn't seem like they were ready for criticism.

 **And that's a wrap!**

 **So how'd you like it? Good? Bad? In between? Lemme know in the comment section bel- I mean the review section. Sorry, got confused between two sites.**

 **So here we have several things: Markus verbally handing Tantalus' ass to him, Percy and Markus bonding after their little spat, Markus banishing Tantalus, and a display of Markus' plans and powers.**

 **While he hasn't come far in blood control for Second Gear, he has sufficient control over it. Oh, and the Sonido idea came from DylanTheDemon, who gives awesome ideas. Thanks to you, man.**

 **So we have started venturing into the Sea of Monsters. I plan to spice things up, maybe next chapter or so. Oh, and a little drama will commence at the end of the quest. I'll let you know what it's going to be about. This arc will be heavy on drama, which I plan to make sure of.**

 **Thanks to all those who favourited, followed, read and reviewed the story. Luv you guys!**

 **Thanks, Read and Review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25:**

"You are in so much trouble," Clarisse said.

They'd just finished the tour. with the three runaways. Markus assumed Clarisse was trying to unnerve or mess with the other demigods. The soldiers kept staring at Annabeth and Percy. In Annabeth's case it was with pleasure as it turned out the daughter of wisdom was from Virginia and so was technically a Confederate like them. In contrast, they really hated Percy, calling him a dirty Yankee since he was New York born and raised. Markus knew the feeling. Tyson was especially freaked out by the dead soldiers, even asking Annabeth to hold his hand, who did so reluctantly and unhappily.

Finally, they headed to dinner. The CSS Birmingham captain's quarters were about the size of a walk-in closet, but still much bigger than any other room on board. The table was set with white linen and china. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato chips, and Dr Peppers were served by skeletal crewmen. The new arrivals looked reluctant to eat anything served by undead, but their hunger seemed to win over their fears and they dug in.

"Tantalus expelled you for eternity," Clarisse told them smugly. "Mr. D said if any of you show your face at camp again, he'll turn you into squirrels and run you over with his SUV."

Markus rolled his eyes. "You don't have to worry about Tantalus, though. I banished him to the Underworld, so it's fine." The two demigods looked confused on that part, but ignored it for now. They just chalked it up to magic.

"Did they give you this ship?" Percy asked sounding oddly wounded.

"'Course not. My father did."

"Ares?"

Clarisse sneered. "You think your daddy is the only one with sea power? The spirits on the losing side of every war owe a tribute to Ares. That's their curse for being defeated. I prayed to my father for a naval transport and here it is. These guys will do anything I tell them. Won't you, Captain?"

The captain stood behind her looking stiff and angry. His glowing green eyes fixing Percy with a hungry stare. "If it means an end to this infernal war, ma'am, peace at last, we'll do anything. Destroy anyone."

Clarisse smiled. "Destroy anyone. I like that."

Tyson gulped.

"Clarisse," Annabeth said, "Luke might be after the Fleece, too. We saw him. He's got the coordinates and he's heading south. He has a cruise ship full of monsters-"

At the part about Luke, Markus almost spat out the Dr. Pepper he was drinking. His eyes gained a fire in them, a vengeance. So, that piece of shit was around? Markus smiled coldly, ignoring Tyson's whimper of fear. When Markus found him, he was going to cut his head off. After finding out that he was a traitor, as well as trying to poison his brother, Luke was going to pay. In blood.

"Good! I'll blow him out of the water."

Annabeth turned to Markus with a careful, yet angry look in her grey eyes. "He confessed to doing it, Markus. He said he p-poisoned Thalia's tree."

After a minute, Markus smiled coldly, creeping the others out and pleasing Clarisse gladly. He turned to the daughter of Ares slowly, a maniacal gleam in his eye. "Clarisse, I will owe you for life if you let me kill the bastard brutally. Please."

Clarisse offered a bloodthirsty grin of her own. "No way, Henderson. I want dibs on him as well."

"Fine, we share then," Markus offered. Contemplating it, Clarisse nodded. "Fine."

All three of the Birmingham's new passengers looked aghast at this bloodlust.

"You don't understand," Annabeth said, as she shook of her shock. "We have to combine forces. Let us help you-"

"No!" Clarisse pounded the table. "This is my quest, smart girl! Finally I get to be the hero, and you two will not steal my chance."

Annabeth's face grew understanding, Percy though just grew furious at Clarisse's rejection of their offer to help.

"Where are your cabin mates?" The son of Poseidon asked. "You were allowed to take two friends with you, weren't you? Why is it that only Markus here?"

"We don't have one." Clarisse reluctantly admitted.

"No one else wanted to join you?" Percy asked snidely.

Looking away unhappily, Clarisse reluctantly said, "They didn't … I let them stay behind. To protect the camp."

"You mean even the people in your own cabin wouldn't help you?"

"Percy," Markus warned tersely, indicating that his brother was crossing a line that he shouldn't.

The child of Ares looked ready to fling the china at his head. "Shut up, Prissy! I don't need them! Or you!" Her fist slammed on the table, shaking it.

"Clarisse," Percy tried a different approach, "Tantalus is using you. He doesn't care about the camp. He'd love to see it destroyed. He's setting you up to fail."

"Well, it's not as if she has to worry about Tantalus now," Markus muttered under his breath, but the others didn't hear him.

"No! I don't care what the Oracle-" She stopped herself.

"What?" he said. "What did the Oracle tell you?"

Markus, not wanting to sell Clarisse out - huh, who knew that he actually cared about her? - chose to keep silent on the matter.

"Nothing." Clarisse's ears turned pink. "All you need to know is that I'm finishing this quest and you're not helping. On the other hand, I can't let you go…"

"So we're prisoners?" Annabeth asked.

"Guests. For now." Clarisse propped her feet up on the white linen tablecloth and opened another Dr Pepper. "Captain, take them below. Assign them hammocks on the berth deck. If they don't mind their manners, show them how we deal with enemy spies."

Markus rolled his eyes at the girl. "Good to see that you know common courtesy."

"Shut up, Marcie."

"Screw you, Piggy."

"Good to see you two have bonded," Percy muttered sarcastically.

"Shut up!" both of them said at the same time. They turned to each other, angry at both of them saying the same thing. "Stop copying me! Stop it!"

The group laughed, including Tyson and the undead sailors. They quickly clamped up at the stink eye the two were giving them.

 **XXX**

The day had just gone past noon. Markus Clariss,e, Annabeth, Percy and Tyson all sat around a table with a map of the Bermuda triangle on the table and were preparing for the entrance to the Sea of Monsters.

After Percy, Annabeth and Tyson had joined the ship the day before the rest of the day was very quiet and very little happened.

Both Percy and Clarisse kept to themselves and stayed out of each other's way. During dinner they didn't say a word to each other, which was a good thing. The others didn't want to deal with them fighting with each other almost all the time. Markus and Clarisse weren't like that because... well, they barely tolerated each other and didn't exactly hate each other. Plus, Clarisse hated Percy because she humiliated her with toilet water the first time they met. The same could be said about Markus, but he beat her in hand-to-hand combat, which Clarisse could deal with. So, yeah.

"So when will we arrive at the entrance?" Percy asked as he examined the map with Tyson beside him enjoying his peanut butter sandwich.

"Within the next hour or so," Clarisse said. "We want to be ready for when we get to the entrance since this will be a very difficult part of the quest. Plus it's guarded by two of the worst of the oceans monsters."

"Charybdis and Scylla right?" Percy asked getting a nod from the everyone.

Annabeth took it upon herself to explain the story of Charybdis and Scylla, because why not. "Scylla was a child of Phrocys and Keto and was once a very beautiful nymph. From what I read Scylla was once a beautiful nymph. The fisherman-turned-sea-god Glaucus fell madly in love with her, but she fled from him onto the land where he could not follow. Despair filled his heart and he went to the sorceress Circe to ask for a love potion to melt Scylla's heart.

"As he told his tale of love about Scylla to Circe, she herself fell in love with him. She wooed him with her sweetest words and looks, but the sea-god would have none of her. Circe was furious, but with Scylla and not with Glaucus. She prepared a vial of very powerful poison and poured it in the pool where Scylla bathed. As soon as the nymph entered the water, she was transformed into a frightful monster." She finished all this with one big breath, making Markus, Percy and Tyson nod.

"Charybdis however was a child of Poseidon and a water nymph. She was known to be very loyal to her father and helped him during his endless feud with Zeus. She would ride the hungry tides after Poseidon had stirred up a storm, and led them onto the beaches, covering whole villages, submerging fields, drowning forests, claiming them for the sea. She won so much land for her father's kingdom that Zeus became enraged and changed her into a monster forever."

Markus and Percy frowned at the information given to them. Both of them felt sympathy for their sibling, even if she was a monster. It must've been horrible dealing with that. Percy felt especially sympathetic because his treatment of Tyson flashed into his mind, making him wince slightly.

"So they were forever cursed for something that out of control?" Percy asked angrily, making Markus look at him with an understanding look.

"The gods can be cruel at many points. This is an example of that," Markus said to Percy. He frowned at what he said. It made him sound like Luke. Sure, he could understand why he was doing what he was doing, and he was right. Still, he hated the bastard.

"Is there nothing that can be done to remove the curse? Surely the gods would not just let them remain as monsters for something that was not their fault?"

"If they did then I doubt we would be worrying about which of the two we would need to pass Percy," Markus answered, silencing Percy. Percy then turned to him with a hopeful look in his eyes. "What about you? You know magic, so maybe..."

Markus shook his head. "Nope. I dunno how to. Even if I did, the amount of magic needed for that might kill me. I think only Hecate can perform magic like that." He said that because he assumed that no one could reach Hecate in terms of magical prowess. Well, no mortal could.

Percy looked down, and Markus couldn't blame him. Hell, he wished that he could do something about it. Alas, he couldn't.

"So which will we be trying to get passed?" Annabeth asked though, Percy looked in confusion.

"Why do we have to pass either of them? Can't we just find another way in? Surely there is one unguarded entrance, right?" he asked, confused.

"It does' not quite work like that, Percy," Annabeth answered. "They are at all the entrances to the Sea of Monster. There are multiple entrances but at all of them Charybdis and Scylla will appear."

"Oh, okay then," Percy said, feeling a little stupid.

"The answer is simple," Clarisse said taking the map into her hands.

"Charybdis is a giant whirlpool that we have to pass while Scylla lies in wait on the said of the cliffs. If we try to avoid Charybdis then we have to fight Scylla ad if we avoid Scylla we have to fight Charybdis any way you look at it. Therefore I think we should take on Charybdis."

"Clarisse," Percy said, "Charybdis sucks up the sea. Isn't that the story? I don't think it would be wise to try and take her on. She could destroy the boat completely."

"If we get too close, then Scylla and her snake heads will come down and start plucking sailors off the ship."

"Then choose Scylla then," Percy said. "Everybody goes below deck and we chug right past. We will be safe that way. It is easy."

"Percy, nothing is that easy and nothing is that simple. Just because we will be below deck, it does not mean she will not be able to get to us. Don't know about you, but last I checked, monsters were very strong and could tear right through the metal," Naruto answered. Clarisse then spoke up.

"If Scylla doesn't get her easy meat, she might pick up the whole ship. Besides, she's too high to make a good target. My cannons can't shoot straight up. Charybdis just sits there at the center of her whirlwind. We're going to steam straight toward her, train our guns on her, and blow her straight to Tartarus!"

Markus sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Clarisse is right. It's a direct approach but it's our best shot. Plus I can use magic to hit her in the eye or something to distract her. So there's that." He got understanding nods from everyone.

They all knew that getting passed either of the monster duo was going to be difficult. After all only a handful of people have done such a thing.

"Let's get the last of are things and then everyone meet up on deck. Shortly we will be at the Sea of Monsters."

The six demigods quick broke apart and all headed towards their rooms and prepared.

Markus went to his room and checked his supplies. He had Wavebreaker and Beowulf on his key chain. **(A.N. - If you want to ask, it's simple. Magic).** He put on a grey shirt with black jeans, along with hi-tops. Both his Chimera and Lamia knives were in holsters at his waist, tucked under his belt. Both of them were sharpened and in top condition, with the Lamia knife still having its poison.

He sighed, mentally preparing himself. He wasn't naive. He knew there was a chance that things could go wrong and that someone might die. He knew that he couldn't save everyone, but he would do his hardest to prevent any of that happening. Sometimes he wished that he knew healing magic to ease his worries. The only option he had as healing runes. While effective, they weren't the same as healing magic.

As he exited his room he found Annabeth, Percy, and Tyson already outside waiting for him. They all were wearing their armour and having their weapons strapped to their sides and on their backs.

"We're just waiting for Clarisse," Annabeth answered.

"I'll wait for her," Markus offered. "You guys head up on the deck. I'll bring her up when she's out."

They all shrugged and did as told.

Markus leaned against the wall beside as he waited for the daughter of Ares. Though it did not stay silent for long when he heard a crash from within Clarisse's room.

Eyes widened, Markus zipped to her room, worried. He still wondered when he suddenly started to care for Clarisse, but pushed it out of his mind for now.

He was about to open the door before he heard voices coming from within. He pressed his ear against the door.

"I don't want excuses, little girl!" an angry male voice growled which caused Markus to narrow his eyes and a snarl rip out of his throat. He knew that annoying voice. What the hell was Ares doing here?

"Y-yes, father," he heard Clarisse mumble and could hear her shuffling. This caused Markus to raise an eyebrow in surprise. He'd never heard Clarisse whimper, let alone sound afraid. As much as she annoyed him, he knew that she was strong-willed.

"I will succeed!" Clarisse promised, her voice trembling. "I'll make you proud."

"You'd better," he warned. "You asked me for this quest, girl. If you let that slime ball Jackson kid and that Henderson punk steal it from you-"

"But the Oracle said-"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT IT SAID!" Ares bellowed. "You don't want to see me mad, do you? Because you know what will happen if you do."

"No, father."

Markus' eyes widened when he heard a loud smack come from inside the room and he heard what Ares had to say "No, father," he mimicked. "You're pathetic. I should've let one of my sons take this quest."

Markus took a moment to contemplate on what he should do. He could turn around, walk away and not look back. No one would know. It wasn't his business, it was Clarisse's. Besides, why should he care? It wasn't his problem. And Clarisse was always such a bitch at times, and Markus wouldn't deny that a part of him - a small, vindictive part - enjoyed hearing Clarisse squirm like that. So he should have no problem leaving.

So why the hell was he still rooted in place? No, a better question is why was he so angry, so concerned for Clarisse?

The truth was because she was a, ahem, friend. And he should - Markus almost choked on the spot at the thought - h-help her. Besides, he was jaded, but he wasn't cruel enough to just ignore Clarisse in this situation.

So with that, he kicked down the door. Ares, who looked the same since Markus last saw him, looked over and saw Markus standing in the doorway his glowing green eyes looking directly at him **(A.N. - Think of Hulk's eyes when he's in his World Breaker form).** "Get lost punk. This is some father-daughter bonding. This doesn't concern you."

Markus looked over and saw Clarisse was hiding the right side of her face and hand her hand covering as well. For some bizarre reason, this made Markus even madder than before. He went forward and got in Ares face.

"Leave, Ares," Markus warned silently, his eyes practically neon green in rage. "You aren't welcome here. Leave now."

"You dare, you little shit. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now. Your daddy isn't here to save you-"

This made Markus grow angrier the longer that he looked at him - due to Ares' natural aura doing that - and so with that, he moved at speeds that left Ares with wide eyes, and decked the god in the face, right in his jaw. He didn't add earthquake energy in his hand, but his surprising strength pushed Ares forward. The god slammed into the wall behind him, going through it and leaving an Ares-sized hole in the wall. The god of war was on his back, but quickly got up, looking more shocked than hurt. He was about to say something, when Markus appeared in his vision, his whole body bathed in a sea-green light. His pupilless eyes bore into Ares' firey gaze.

"I. Said. LEAVE!" Markus roared in anger, his voice reverberating across the room. Clarisse looked at the scene in shock, still holding her cheek.

Ares snarled and spat on the floor in front of Markus before he teleported away in his godly form which made both demigods cover their eyes. When they opened their eyes Ares was gone and it was silent.

Markus panted, his aura and glowing eyes disappearing. He turned to Clarisse, who was trying not to look him in the eye.

"Hey," he said slightly, walking towards her gently. He wasn't good at these kind of situations. He didn't know if he should give her a comforting hug or try to help her stand up. "Clarisse?" he asked gently causing her to turn her head away from him. He went in front of her and gently tiled her face towards him. He saw that on her right cheek was a red mark from where Ares had hit her. But in her eyes he could see them beginning to glaze over slightly.

Wanting to do something to help her, Markus decided to work his magic. Literally. Holding up his index finger, he concentrated slightly. After a moment, a pin prick of blood squirted from the tip of his finger. His blood control got better the more he practised, like a muscle. Holding his bleeding finger to Clarisse's cheek, he saw her wince. "It's okay," he assured her. "I'm not going to hurt you." Seeing her relax slightly, his bloodied finger touched her cheek.

Tracing the Greek rune 'Θεραπεύω' for 'Heal' on her cheek in small letters, Markus sighed in relief. "There. It's no Apollo-level healing, but it should do the trick. Just put a patch of ice onto the wound - ah." Looking around, he saw a tap. How convenient. Walking towards it, he turned it on. He concentrated on the running water, and saw as a stream of it collected itself out of the tap and solidified into an ice block. Holding it in his hand, he carefully handed it to Clarisse, who took it gingerly. "There. That should help."

Clarisse just nodded, still having the dazed look in her eye. Markus didn't want to interrupt her inner debate, but he had to ask. "Uh, Clarisse?" When she focused on him, he asked his question. "Does this happen often?" he asked but felt a little relived when she shook her head.

"Only when he is really mad," she whispered, speaking for the first time. "He never hit me when I was younger, mainly over the last few years since I came to camp. I just don't think he likes having daughters. He does not see girls as worthy fighters."

"Well, then he's retarded," Markus said firmly, getting Clarisse to focus on him. "While we may be at odds many, many, many times, I'll admit that you're one of the strongest fighters in camp."

Clarisse nodded, still not responding.

He sighed. He didn't know what to do. She still wasn't responding. He wasn't used to this type of thing. He almost wished that Clarisse was more... Clarisse.

Regretting what he was going to do, he walked towards the girl slowly, not getting a response. Hesitatingly, he wrapped Clarisse in a kind of hug, getting the girl to flinch. He patted her back awkwardly, then decided against that. Markus rubbed her back like he would to a baby, or a person in pain.

Pushing his awkwardness aside, Markus whispered, "You can let it out. There is no one here but us and I promise you I will not tell anyone what happened here."

He felt Clarisse nod her head a little into his shirt and felt her arms wrapped around him tightly like a lifeline. He could see little traces of water going down her cheeks. Markus' heart nearly broke. He never knew when he grew so caring or considerate, let alone to Clarisse, but he knew that the girl needed someone to hold onto. He suddenly realized that not all relationships for demigods with their parents were like his dad. Poseidon, once he got over his hate for the god, was chill once you got to know him. And Markus knew that he loved both him and Percy dearly. He could tell.

On the other hand, Clarisse had to deal with Ares, the biggest jackass that Markus had ever seen. He was terrible as a god, and he balked at the idea of him being a father. Was that how it was for most demigods? Maybe not meeting their parents was better rather than seeing them and knowing the monsters that they can be. Markus knew how cruel the gods can be. But he didn't think that cruelty could extend to their children.

Markus pondered this as he held onto the girl. This was the first time he had ever seen Clarisse so vulnerable before and it was strange to see the normally tough as nails girl in such a state. He understood she had a tough image but like he had thought before; there was a lot more to Clarisse then being tough, strong willed daughter of the God of War. The shocking thing was, she was willing to show that side to him.

She broke the hug and he saw her eyes were a little red with a few tears stains down her cheek. She quickly wiped them away.

"Thank you, Markus," he heard her mutter.

He smiled lightly. That was probably the first time that she had said his name. "No problem, Clarisse," he whispered.

It was silent for a moment. It was nice, just with the two of them. Markus thought that this was the kind of thing that a boyfriend and girlfriend do. But he quickly perished the thought. Clarisse needed comforting. He didn't need to be her boyfriend to do that. Besides, he didn't feel that way towards Clarisse. She was a comrade, the kind that he would allow to watch his back in a battle, or in general, despite their attitudes towards each other. Markus would probably feel that kind of mushy way with someone different, maybe with Silena, or Katie, or Ann-

He blinked in surprise. Where the hell had that come from?

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Clarisse punch arm. Hard.

"If you tell anyone what happened here I will kick your ass. Magical powers or not, I make it look like an accident."

Markus just stared at the girl that he had comforted not even a few seconds ago. And then he laughed.

Clarisse looked ready to slap him because he was laughing at her, but he just patted her shoulder lightly. "I would expect no less from you, War Girl. Now come on, we got two monsters that need a good ass kicking."

She patted his shoulder as well, making Markus smirk. The two exited the room and made their way back onto the top of the ship, where the others were waiting.

Not much time had passed since Markus had went downstairs. When they arrived on the top deck they saw Percy and Annabeth were leaning over the side talking while Tyson was tinkering around with some kind of watch. They didn't notice them appear.

Leaving Clarisse alone for a bit to get rid of what happened a while ago, he went and stood by Tyson and watched him tinker around with his new project.

He stayed like that for the full hour and made idle chat with Tyson and found Tyson's child like behaviour was a breath of fresh air with all the seriousness and boredom over the last few days. Markus even asked if he could show him a little bit of tinkering, making Tyson extremely happy. So much so that he wrapped Markus in a bone-breaking hug. Almost literally.

Once the hour was up a horn sounded out throughout the ship which made everyone jump.

"That's the signal. You know what that means," Annabeth said getting a nod from everyone else. Everyone gathered together while Clarisse used a pair of binoculars.

Everyone looked in the same direction as Clarisse was, but they could not see much couldn't see much. The sky was overcast. The air was hazy and humid, like steam from an iron.

The engine groaned as the boat increased in speed.

Tyson muttered nervously, "Too much strain on the pistons. Not meant for deep water."

"Don't worry buddy," Percy comforted. "We are going to make it through this. The ship will hold."

"Let's hope," Markus muttered. He wasn't that well versed in ships, just how to operate them, but he could tell that groaning sounds coming from the engine wasn't good.

After a few more minutes of observing and preparing, dark splotches became visible ahead of the boat and began to come in to focus. To the north, a huge mass of rock rose out of the sea - an island with cliffs at least a hundred feet tall. About half a mile south of that, the other patch of darkness was a storm brewing. The sky and sea boiled together in a roaring mass.

"Hurricane?" Annabeth asked in a hopeful tone but she saw the stoic expression on Clarisse's and Markus' face.

"No," Clarisse said. "Charybdis."

"Well, here we go," Markus muttered, everyone tense.

"Captain set sails for Charybdis and get everyone on the cannons!" Clarisse yelled.

"Aye Aye Captain," he shouted back as the cannon on the ships began to get manned by the skeleton Confederates.

The ship got closer to the monsters, the sound of Charybdis got louder and louder - a horrible wet roar like the galaxy's biggest toilet being flushed. Every time Charybdis inhaled, the ship shuddered and lurched forward. Every time she exhaled, we rose in the water and were buffeted by ten-foot waves.

Tyson seemed to clutch Markus' hand on instinct. Markus returned the grip to his brother.

However they could feel heat coming from beneath them and knew it was the engine the heat was coming from. A burnt out engine was not something that would help them in fighting Charybdis.

"Tyson, do you think you could go down to the engine room ad keep the engine cool?" Percy asked.

Everyone looked to Tyson who had an inquisitive look on his face before he grinned.

"Tyson can help. Tyson can keep the engines cool. I go work on that now," he said getting a nod from everyone and a thumbs up from Percy and Markus before he sprinted down the stairwells and towards the engines rooms.

"Percy, Markus, can you control the oceans and give us a hand?" Annabeth called out as she clutched her knife that she brought out of instinct.

Percy closed his eyes and began to feel the ocean around him but the whirlpool in front of them as well as the roars from the monsters and the shouting from the skeleton crew made it too difficult for him to fully concentrate.

"I—I can't," he said miserably. "There is too much interference. I can't focus properly."

"Lemme try," Markus offered. He went to the rail and closed his eyes. He felt the ocean around him, felt every drop of water in the whirlpool in front of them. He tried blocking out all sound, all noise, and concentrated. He grit his teeth as he did his best to control the oceans. He was better at Percy than manipulating water, but that was purely out of experience, not power difference. He was having the same problem as Percy.

He shook his head. "No good. It's the same reason as Percy's. Plus, I'm not sure our powers could completely stop the whirlpool."

"We need a backup plan," Annabeth said. "This isn't going to work."

However before she could explain the ship lurched forward and threw most of their feet. The ship began to rock in every direction signalling that they had been sucked into the whirlpool.

"Full reverse!" Clarisse screamed above the noise. The sea churned around them, waves crashing over the deck. As she shouted the demigods got a good luck at Charybdis.

"Damn," Markus said aloud, seeing the black maw at the bottom of the whirlpool with long teeth the size of row boats that was sucking in everything possible.

"She's just a giant mouth," Percy said in disgust. The others agreed with his statement.

"Lady Clarisse," the captain shouted. "Starboard and forward guns are in range!"

"Fire!" Clarisse ordered throwing her right arm down.

Three rounds were blasted into the monster's maw. One blew off the edge of an incisor. Another disappeared into her gullet. The third hit one of Charybdis's retaining bands and shot back at the,, snapping the Ares flag off its pole.

 _Not sad to see that go,_ Markus thought to himself.

He held his hand out, concentrating. _"Stella Inspiratione_!" he shouted out, a giant bomb of light erupting from his palms and headed towards one of the long teeth and disintegrated it. Charybdis roared out.

Not being deterred, he continued his magical onslaught. " _Sagitta Spiram Verberare_!" he shouted, dozens of magical arrows shot towards Charybdis' teeth, trying to make it feel pain.

Charybdis continued to roar out and it looked like it was getting closer or they were getting further swallowed.

"It's not working," Markus concluded, cancelling his spell. He turned to Percy. "Help me."

Percy blinked seeing his brother turn to him for help. "M-me? What do you want me to do?"

"We're going to control the water to turn it to ice, see if that'll do anything," Markus said. The others looked stunned at his idea. Percy also. "I can't manipulate ice," he said.

Markus rolled his eyes. "Well, today's the day, then. Now come on!" He yanked his brother and both of them went to the front of the ship. The guns were reloading while all of this was going on.

"It's easy. Just imagine a river of water, then slowly solidify it until it turns into ice," Markus instructed. He held out his hands, his will washing over the oceans. He couldn't wrestle it into submission but he could at least use it to attack Charybdis. Since they were in the ocean, Markus had much more water to work with and so was able to draw more of it.

A huge pillar of water rose from the ocean in front of the ship. The others, Percy especially, were shocked at this display of skill. They were further shocked when the pillar formed into a giant spear of condensed water, and then slowly turned into ice. With a wave of his hand, Markus sent the humongous ice spear towards the mouth of the monster.

It disappeared into Charybdis, but not before taking out a couple of more teeth on top of the ones he already took out. A loud roar echoed from the black maw, though whether it was of pain or annoyance, Markus wasn't sure.

He turned to his brother, who's mouth was hung open at the display of water control. Markus was panting, having used a large body of water and then turning it into ice taking its tole on him. "See?" he said, panting. "Easy. Now you try it."

Percy continued to look shocked, until his mind registered the sentence. "I... I can't-"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Markus shouted, annoyed. "I just told you: use the water and imagine a stream of water slowly solidifying into ice! Now hurry!"

Nodding quickly, Percy joined his brother in commanding two giant pillars to rise from the churning ocean. The one Markus was controlling quickly solidified into ice, but Percy's one struggled, showing that he was still struggling with control.

Splitting his concentration in half, Markus took his brother's hand to help him while his other hand was used to control his own water pillar. "Here," he said, voice strained. "Like this."

Percy's pillar slowly turned into ice with Markus' help. When Percy worked with his brother together, the now two ice pillars were formed, turning into giant javelins. With their mental command, they both sent it to Charybdis mouth, destroying row after roar of giant teeth and disappearing down the monster's gullet.

They could hear the great ocean monster cry out in pain as the ice froze around and inside her mouth. Its teeth were destroyed and frozen solid. and began to turn an ugly shade of grey and black from and the attacks.

Both brothers panted in exhaustion, mentally tired from using that much power. The whirlpool around them calmed a little and allowed the captain to get better control of the ship. The pain could still be heard in Charybdis' roars and cries.

"That was great, guys," Annabeth shouted." Keep it up. "The ice is hurting her."

"In a, huff, minute," Markus wheezed out, getting his energy back. He commanded a small geyser of water to erupt from the ocean, then controlled it to spray the two. Immediately the felt rejuvenated, like they can control the whole ocean.

The cannon fire seemed to stop for a moment. Annabeth helped reload the cannons with Clarisse while several skeletons did the same. They had taken over from a skeleton that had fallen in the ocean and been sucked in by Charybdis.

They could feel the heat beneath them get cooler signalling that Tyson was managing to keep the engine cool and in order.

"Good job," Markus commended towards Percy, a smile on his face.

"Yeah," Percy said, voice alight in wonder. "How do you do that?"

"Practice," Markus said with a cheeky grin. "Lots and lots of practice."

The giant mouth then shut surprising everyone which made the ocean go back to being calm and the whirlpool slowly dissipated.

"Is it over?" Percy asked in a hopeful tone but saw the solemn looks Markus and the others had who simply shook their heads.

"No Percy, that just round one," he said as he prepared his magic again while Annabeth and Clarisse aimed their cannons.

"Everyone get ready!" Markus called out the mouth exploded open, spitting out a wall of water, ejecting everything inedible, including the cannonballs that had been fired from the ship.

Markus, seeing all the debris, knew that they couldn't deflect all that. And his defensive barriers weren't strong enough for all that. Summoning almost all of his magic, Markus called out his spell. " _Inoioi Hetairoi: Girisha Kaze!_ " Immediately, multiple weapons appeared behind Markus out of white mist. There were over two hundred Greek weapons, which surprised everyone. With a roar, he sent all of it towards the incoming debris, intercepting it. Many of the weapons shot the cannonballs out of the air, while the others hit most of the debris. When the barrage of attacks were finished, the debris was destroyed, its momentum halted by the barrage of magical weapons. They fell harmlessly into the ocean.

The ship was thrown backward on a wave that must've been forty feet high. Percy took over for Markus, who was now exhausted, and used his powers to control the water around them and managed with great difficulty and willpower to calm it down and keep the boat from capsizing.

"Keep it up, guys. Keep us afloat," Annabeth said before the skeleton next to her suddenly disappeared into the air by something brown and green.

Everyone looked over only for Percy to suddenly feel himself being lifted up into the air.

"NO," Annabeth and Markus shouted as Annabeth grabbed his legs. The others all saw this and did the same and grabbed him. Markus made a big leap, despite his exhaustion, and managed to grab Percy's waist. Looking up they saw a big reptile mass with multiple heads that had grabbed hold of Percy backpack.

Feeling his grip on his brother loosen, Markus summoned his remaining magic to perform another spell. " _Inoioi Hetairoi:_ _Ten no Kusari_! (Army of the King: Chains of Heaven!)" Immediately, chains started sprouting from white mist, wrapping around Percy's waist, nearly halting his ascent completely. These chains were based of 'Enkidu: Chains of Heaven' from Fate/Stay Night. They even had the same design, though not the same power.

Still, the spell did its job as the reptile heads struggled heavily to pull Percy up. "Percy slip out of the backpack," Markus called as they struggled to keep Percy down much longer and could feel their grip loosening and Scylla getting stronger.

Percy wriggled around before he managed to slip his arms out of the straps and falling back onto the deck of the ship. He had Annabeth fussing over him a little but motioned he was okay.

Markus panted, releasing his spell. He fell to his knees, making Percy and Annabeth reach out to catch him. Annabeth brought out a square of ambrosia to feed him. Markus chewed on the god food as it did its job, filling up his reserves, though not completely. "Thanks," Markus warbled out to Annabeth, who nodded.

Hearing a screech from above them they saw Scylla hissing down at them with their tongues sliding out and rows of teeth gleaming.

Seeing that it was going to snap its jaws, Markus quickly raised his hands and performed another spell. " _Geminae Sagitta Spiralis_! (Twin Arrow Spiral!)" Two bolts of arcane magic erupted from his palms each hit the same eye of one of the heads. Scylla reeled back and roared out loud in pain. However their attention turned to the other side when the whirlpool from Charybdis started up again and the large black mouth of the monster could be seen again.

"Shit," Markus said, summing up everyone's thoughts. He called upon another small geyser to the deck and was practically bathed in the water **(A.N. - His strength and magic are returning like how Natsu from Fairy Tail eats fire to regain his strength and magic)**. Markus and Clarisse went back towards Charybdis while Annabeth and Percy faced Scylla as Riptide was now visible in Percy's hand.

"Come on. Bring it!" Clarisse shouted trying to stay positive and manning one of the cannons again.

The door behind them was open and they could see Tyson come out covered in black soot. "Engine cool and fixed for now," he said before noticing their situation and joined Percy's side against Scylla.

The whirlpool got louder and the hisses from Scylla got louder and everyone believed the two monsters were going to make their move.

But then the strangest thing happened which caught everyone off guard and rendered everyone confused.

The whirlpool around Charybdis suddenly slowed down add dissipated returning the water to being calm and silent. The black mass that was Charybdis could just about be seen by the people of the ship before it suddenly began to roar, though whether it was pain or annoyance they weren't sure. Pretty soon it began to move away from them and disappeared into a cavern beneath the cliffs.

"What the hell?" Percy voiced out, agreeing with what everyone was thinking. Suddenly, they heard a loud whimper like noise coming from Scylla. They looked to see Scylla's multiple heads were low down whimpering with their eyes looking all over the place before her body began to back up and disappear back into her cave in the cliffs.

The demigods all looked around confused not understand what just happened. "Did we win?" Percy asked not getting an answer from anyone as they looked over to where Charybdis ad Scylla disappeared too.

"No way," Markus denied. "It can't be that easy."

While some of the skeleton crew broke out into cheers and the captain seemed pleased with himself, the demigods knew something was up.

"They just disappeared. Markus did you do something?" Annabeth asked wanting to know if Markus used some sort of magic ability to scare them off.

"No I didn't do anything. I don't understand it. They had us cornered and then they just left. Have you ever heard of them doing that before?" Markus asked.

"Never. Charybdis and Scylla are notorious but yet they looked... scared."

"Scared. They looked scared. Did you hear Scylla whimpering? Whatever it was it had her freaked out big time and I don't know any monster that could scare them both like that..." Clarisse said before she noticed both Markus and Percy looking over the side of the ship.

"Guys?" Annabeth asked as they all walked up to them. They wwere just leaning over the side of the ship looking down at the water with a frown on their face and saw their eyes scanning the water.

"Feel that?" Markus asked cryptically. Percy nodded, continuing to frown.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked trying to look them both in the eye.

"The fish. They have all swam off. Normally I can feel and sense all the sea life in the water but I can't feel anything. It's like they just swam off and swam as far as they could go. I can't sense anything," Percy answered.

"Same. It feels like... like something big is coming," Markus mutttered, making the whole crew seem on all looked at each worryingly before they all leaned over the side of the boat. An eerie silence rang over the area.

"Something not right. It can't be that easy. What had them freaked out?" Clarisse whispered to them all harshly.

However they got their answer in the form of a loud roar coming from beneath the boat that caused all the demigods to cover their ears and drop to their knees. The sound caused the entire ship to vibrate and shake while the windows began to crack and shatter.

From beneath the ship a giant silhouette that looked roughly the size of the boat hovered and lingered beneath it with a bunch of beady eyes looking at the hull of the ship and began to push the ship away from the entrance to the Sea of Monsters.

Everyone on deck held onto whatever was close to them when they felt the boat being pulled away.

"What the hell is that?" Annabeth screamed out, but no one answered.

Suddenly, both Percy and Markus felt a strong pull from beneath the boat.

Along the rim of the ship, the water began to bubble. The two sons of Poseidon looked down at the water, taking notice of that along with a large mass of dark scales that started to break the surface.

"Have a bad feeling about that," Tyson swallowed.

Markus nodded slowly. "Me too, buddy."

The mass of dark scales seemed to be getting bigger. Suddenly, the ship lurched again, throwing the occupants on the ground.

A loud roar and an explosion of water occurred from beneath the ship. The demigods stood up and looked over the edge of the ship. They were able to see a massive, clawed and scaled hand with four fingers slam into the hull of the ship, making a giant indent and making the ship groan.

Markus followed the hand to the rising body coming out of the sea. The scaled head of the creature was easily seventy feet off the surface of the sea. It looked like an ugly evil monkey, with fins on either side of its head. The eyes were white, without pupils, and its mouth was contorted in a snarl that revealed layers of sharp, glowing yellow teeth. Four massive, scaled arms sprouted from its torso and a powerful build led down to a large serpent-like body that disappeared into the water. The underside of its arms and clawed hands were suckled, like octopus tentacles. It was truly a magnificent and terrifying creature.

"W-what the hell... is that thing?" Clarisse asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"I don't know... but we're going to have to fight it," Markus said. A little fear creeped into his mind as well.

The monster stared directly at the ship, and roared.

 **And that's this chapter done!**

 **For anyone curious on what the monster is, it's the Cetus from Greek mythology, the one Poseidon sent to attack Aethiopia because he was angered at the insults given to the Nereids from Queen Cassiopeia, who boasted about her daughter Andromeda. And yes. I knew that without looking it up.**

 **If the Cetus looks a little big and different from what it looks like in mythology, this is how I would imagine it to look like. Lemme know what you think.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. And as for the little moment with Clarisse and Markus, that was something I added because I felt like it. Plus, I would like some character development and a touch of emotional comfort in the story. It's nice to have. And even though the situation with Clarisse and Ares seems a little unrealistic, that's how I imagine a situation with Ares would be for his children. Since he's both a god, most Olympians are dicks in the story and I can't deny that, and an ass. That's how I see it play out.**

 **Now hopefully I can update Celestial Ascension as frequently as I can. Compared to this story, it's quite lacking, but I'll still work on the story. So show my baby some love, will ya? Pretty please.**

 **Thank you! Read and Review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26:**

Everyone on board the CSS Birmingham took a few steps back as the giant sea monster's head roared, heading towards the side of the ship, biting into it. The monster's sharp teeth passed through the material easily and chomped down onto it, destroying a large piece of the hull.

"It took out a piece of the ship!" Annabeth yelled, alarmed.

"As if Charybdis and Scylla weren't enough," Percy said, annoyed. Though Markus saw him shake a little in fear.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Clarisse asked, looking a little fearful. Okay, scratch that. Very fearful.

No one answered her. Tyson whimpered a little as his weapon shook in his hands and tried to keep a good grip on it but Percy who was next to him quickly began to calm him down along with Annabeth who looked like she was putting her problems with cyclops aside for the time being.

The giant sea monster roared again, the sound reverberating off the ship and rattling the demigods and cyclops where they stood.

Clarisse, though afraid, didn't let her fear stop her from her duty. "Get the cannons ready!" Clarisse roared out shaking the dead Confederate soldiers out of their stupor and running back over to the cannons.

"Clarisse we don't know what we are dealing with," Annabeth said to the daughter of Ares. "Attacking it might just piss it off even more. We need to know what we are dealing with."

"Not sure we're going to get enough time for that, Annie," Markus said, seeing the monster heading towards the mast, hoping to bite it off.

"Aim for its head! Destroy it!" Clarisse yelled out.

Having a sense of dread fill him and seeing Clarisse's temper was acting up Markus grabbed hold of the others. "Everyone get down and hit the deck!"

They complied quickly with the order and they quickly understood why and were glad that they did with what happened next.

"FIRE!" Clarisse shouted as the cannons on the ship fired the cannon shells towards the head of the monster, with many of the cannons managing to hit it in its teeth and face. When they hit small chunks of the monster blasted away, making small pieces fly all over the place before they disappeared into bits of golden dust.

The monster roared in agony, flailing its head around in pain. The attack did exactly what Annabeth said it would and the monster began to writhe around before it went hostile and began swinging in every direction. It's angry, serpent-like eyes glared down upon the residents of the ship.

The monster swung upwards and towards one the mast of the ship and quickly destroyed it, sending it to the ground and spiralling of into the ocean.

Seeing this, Markus decided to take action. There was no point in trying to stand by since Clarisse already pissed it off. " _Ionioi Hetairoi: Girisha Kaze_!" he chanted, dozens of weapons made from the Mist sailing towards the monster, specifically its eyes.

But the monster moved so much that the attack missed its eyes completely. On the plus side, it nicked a piece of its neck off. Which managed to make it even more angrier because of that. Great going, Markus.

At Clarisse command, the cannons fired again. This time, the monster recovered from its pain and dodged the cannons immediately. Its scaly hands rose up from the sea, and tried raking at the ship instead of biting it. The ship wobbled because of the motions created under the sea by the monster, causing the demigods and cyclops to almost slip. Because of the ship being off balance, it was saved from being destroyed completely from the monster's claws. Unfortunately, it still suffered damage. The claws raked through the hull of the ship, tearing through the material and showcasing the inside of the ship.

Seeing it do damage, the monster raised its hands into fists and tried smashing through the ship.

"If this keeps going, the ship will be destroyed before we can even attack it!" Annabeth stated.

"You think we don't know that?" Markus responded. He looked to his brother. "Percy. Help me control the ice so we can kill it." But Percy didn't respond. He looked upon the thing, shaking a little in fear.

Markus flicked his brother on the forehead, snapping him out of his fear. "Wha-" Percy responded, looking as if he woke up from a dream. He looked at Markus, who was glaring at him.

"Focus! I know that you're scared, and that's fine. I am too! But we need to kill this thing or we're going to die!" Markus snapped, getting his brother's attention.

"R-right," Percy nodded, following his brother near the edge of the ship to look at the monster. It was still smashing the ship, making everyone stumble and also making the ship shake. But the brothers didn't focus on that. Both mentally connected with the ocean around them, and commanded two water pillars to erupt from the bottom. They fashioned them into two ice spears that were sent hurtling towards the monster.

Seeing the danger, the monster was surprisingly intelligent enough to dodge one of the spears. The other one, however, got lodged into the its neck. Not deep enough to kill it, but definitely enough to cause it serious pain.

The monster roared in pain, forgoing destroying the ship to retreating into the ocean to clutch its wound. Markus and Percy had a few moments to celebrate their success when the monster roared, throwing large amounts of water around it. Rearing back, it swiped at the top of the deck, specifically at the two sons of Poseidon.

"Move!" Percy yelled, Markus following him in dodging, just in time to narrowly miss the claw that was aiming to swipe them off and kill them. Unfortunately, the claws scraped through the top of the ship, sending the demigods and Tyson flying across the deck.

Markus had time to glimpse the others fall as he fell to the side of the deck that wasn't destroyed. While the others landed somewhat safely, Markus saw that Annabeth was sailing over the deck and heading towards the sea beneath her. She screamed as she fell, useless gripping for something to hold onto.

"Annabeth!" Markus screamed, zipping to the edge of the destroyed deck and jumping over, trying to catch her. While he didn't worry about himself since the water wouldn't hurt him, the same couldn't be said for Annabeth.

She screamed, trying to reach for his hand, but they were too far apart. She had but only a couple of seconds until she reached the water and got killed from the impact. He could harden the water under her to cushion her fall, but he was worried that the same result would happen. So he improvised.

" _Ionioi Hetairoi: Ten no Kusari_!" he yelled, his chain forming and sailed towards the falling demigoddess, snaking around her wrist. Quickly bringing out Wavebreaker, he struck it into the remaining hull of the ship, cutting into it and using it to catch himself. This worked, as the blade cut into the metal but managed to hold firm. However, this had the effect of almost yanking Markus' arm out of his socket and making him yelp in pain.

The same thing happened to Annabeth. Because of her fall and the chain snaked onto her hand, her arm snapped back, experiencing whiplash. She screamed in pain, as her arm was dislocated. The same thing almost happened to Markus but because his arm was slightly stronger, he managed. Mentally commanding the chain to hold onto Annabeth while also holding onto Wavebreaker, he grabbed onto the chain made of Mist. Placing it in his mouth (he was surprised it was still holding but he wasn't complaining) and also summoning another sword out of Mistform, he climbed up the ship using the two swords while also using his mouth to hold onto Annabeth with his chain.

When he reached the top, he pulled himself over and grabbed onto the chain with his hands now, pulling the girl up. When she was level with him, he grabbed her by her waist, since her was dislocated, and hauled her up. The two dropped onto the still shaking deck, panting for different reasons: Annabeth due to panic and Markus from exertion. The chain and extra sword faded, dispersing into white Mist.

After a moment, Annabeth turned to Markus. "T-thanks," she stuttered, still high on adrenaline.

"No problem," Markus said, panting. He took a look at her arm. It was bent slightly at an awkward angle, making Markus feel a little guilty at how he caught her but still didn't regret it. "Here..." he said, putting his hand on her bent arm, trying to put it back in place.

"No, don't-" Annabeth shook her head, not wanting to feel the pain, but Markus interrupted her. "Look, you're hurt and you can't fight with a dislocated arm," Markus pointed out. "Let me help."

Annabeth nodded, looking a bit shocked. Guess she wasn't used to others pointing out stuff to her.

Breathing in slightly, and wanting to make it quick so it didn't hurt as much, Markus moved his hand quickly, snapping the arm back into place. Annabeth yelped in pain, tears almost coming from her eyes. Markus gave her a half-hug, rubbing her back soothingly, helping her ease the pain.

Markus knew that they should focus on the monster attacking, but he had to tend to Annabeth first. When she calmed down slightly, Markus released the hug to look at her. "You okay?" he asked gently. Annabeth nodded, using her other hand to quickly wipe her approaching tears.

"Thanks for that," she whispered, making Markus smile. "It's okay."

The two stared at each other, having a moment - not a romantic one, mind you, but others would disagree - and staring into each others eyes. That moment was interrupted by Annabeth having a look of recognition. "The Cetus..." she muttered to herself.

"What?" Markus asked.

"The Cetus!" Annabeth said. "The monster we're facing is the Cetus!"

"A little too late, Annie. What, your little dive give you inspiration?" Markus joked, but Annabeth slapped his arm. "Do you know anything about it, specifically how to kill it?" Markus asked seriously.

"Perseus killed it," Annabeth explained, scrunching her face in thought. "In the myths, Perseus was said to have stabbed his sword into the back of the Cetus. Another version says that he used Medusa's head to turn it to stone."

"Well, we don't have Medusa's head," Markus said, standing up. "But I _do_ have a sword. At least I know what we're fighting."

Markus looked around to see the others. They were alright, albeit a little shaken up. The ship, however, was a mess. The hull was destroyed, as well as the mast. The deck had claw marks that showed the bottom of the ocean, and the top half of the ship looked like it was cleaved off. Markus could feel that the ship was going to sink, and he didn't need his demigod powers to know that.

He sighed. He was about to do something stupid. But stupid ideas were sometimes the best ideas. Plus, he could save his friends and brother while he was at it, so there was that.

"Clarisse," he called over getting the girl's attention and as she shakily made her way over. He pulled her towards him and spoke into her ear.

"Are there lifeboats on the ship?" he asked and got a strange look from Clarisse.

"Yes, but why do you want to know? We aren't sinking."

"Yes we are. The Cetus already destroyed the middle section of the ship and it'll destroy the rest. The skeleton crew would want to go down with their ship, being dead."

"The Cetus? How do you-" Clarisse asked, but was interrupted by Markus. "We don't have time. How many people can fit on those boats?"

Clarisse quickly racked her brain around a little trying to make sense of it all. "The boats are not big but we could get about seven or eight people in one alone."

"Good. That's more than enough. Take two lifeboats. Get out of here. Keep the others safe." Clarisse looked like she was about to argue, but Markus gripped her shoulders tightly. "Clarisse, please," he pleaded.

Clarisse looked sad, but eventually nodded. "Okay."

Markus smiled at her. "Thank you." With that, he looked at the others. "Follow Clarisse. She is going to take you to the lifeboats. This ship is going to come down with the holes in the side and the Cetus is going to continue destroying it."

"Is there nothing we can do?" Percy asked even though he knew himself that the ship was going to go down. That last hit from the Cetus had sealed the ships fate.

"The ship is going down. Get to the lifeboats. While they might not be strong, they may be small enough for the boats to pass monsters unnoticed and get you to safety."

Markus gave Percy and Tyson a hug and gave a peace sign to Annabeth, who's eyes widened in realisation. He gave a wink to all of them. "Be safe," he said to all of them.

With that, he began to run towards the Cetus. The others started understanding what what he was about to do.

"No! Come back!" Annabeth yelled, but Clarisse wrapped an arm around her, dragging her away to the lifeboats. "Clarisse, let me go!"

"I can't," she said sadly. Annabeth tried pushing with all her strength, but Clarisse was stronger. She held the girl firm in her grip as she continued moving.

"Brother, don't go!" Tyson shouted sadly, reaching to Markus, but Markus moved away, still running. Percy wanted to say something, but Markus looked back and gave him a smile and a wink. "I'll be back," he mouthed to his brother, before using his super speed to dash towards the edge.

Markus ran along the back of the ship before he stopped just as the edge of it and stared straight up at the Cetus whose attention had now focused on him.

He grinned, trying to hide his nervousness. _And I kept telling myself that I wasn't deemed a hero till I did something noteworthy_ , Markus thought to himself.

With that, he yelled towards the Cetus. "Oi! You're scaly ass isn't going anywhere! I don't know if your pint-sized brain can understand anything, but you're not getting past this ship!"

The Cetus roared down at him as if telling him that it was useless to fight it, but Markus ignored it.

Mentally summoning the water, large amounts of it started rising up towards Markus. Putting his water control to the test, he shaped the water to form a giant bridge, leading straight to the neck of the Cetus. And then he turned it into ice.

Touching his key chain, he equipped Beowulf to his arms and legs **(A.N. - The design looks like the same from DMC 3).** Using kinetic energy, he dashed across the ice bridge that he had created. Due to the added boost and the fact that he was on an ice platform, he nearly reached the Cetus in no time. Gathering enough momentum and strength from his weapon, he jumped, being level with the Cetus' head.

Before the monster could so much as roar, Markus cocked his fist back and nailed the Cetus right in its jaw, sending its head back and causing Markus to fall to the water below. The Cetus spat something out that looked like a tooth.

During his fall, Markus realised something: he was the son of _Poseidon_. He was sailing towards the ocean. And he was fighting this monster... on his home turf. Markus grinned. He was practically invincible here. And he was going to prove that.

As he hit the water, his stamina, strength, speed, everything increased tenfold. This was such a broken ability. And he was going to milk it for its worth.

As he connected with the water surrounding him, Markus felt like a god, and he wasn't being arrogant. He felt like he could do anything. Which was exactly what was needed next.

A giant water dragon sped past the surface, its eyes colourless but still glaring at the Cetus. Markus held onto one of its fins, hardening the water around those areas so that he could hold on.

The Cetus roared at the water construct, its mouth dripping dark red blood and gold dust. It tried biting into it, but Markus instructed the dragon to swerve, dodging. The dragon bit into the Cetus' neck, right where one of the ice spears got lodge in.

The Cetus howled in pain. To add more injury, Markus turned the teeth of the water dragon into ice, freezing the wound as well as its insides.

The Cetus shook, trying to dislodge the dragon, howling and scratching. Abandoning ship, Markus leaped into the air towards the Cetus. He performed an axe kick on the top of its head, cracking its skull and further injuring the Cetus.

He didn't usually fight like this, but he could be a little reckless. He could heal any injury he suffered with water, so it was no problem. Markus started grinning at the whimpers of pain the Cetus gave. While he wasn't particularly bloodthirsty, fighting in a battle in where he never suffered major damage was fun.

The water dragon fell apart as scaly claws scratched the Cetus' head, trying to scrape him off. But Markus wouldn't have that. He punched one claw away while slashing with Wavebreaker, that he summoned a few seconds ago, at any claws that came his way. It was a chore, but he managed.

Putting away Wavebreaker, Markus jumped high in the air and performed a ground slam on top of the monster's head **(A.N. - Like the one you perform in games).**

The Cetus' head dropped straight into the ocean, Markus following after it. As soon as he hit the water, his everything increased again. The Cetus roared, having enough of being a punching bag. Markus noticed that its injuries healed remarkably fast. Guess it was able to breath in water too.

The Cetus tried punching him with its fists, and Markus responded back. The monster and demigod clashed, punching and ducking under each strike. The Cetus' movements were precise and much more fast than it was above water. But then so was Markus.

Both ducked and dived and swerved and delivered blow after blow. Beowulf was perfectly fine, while the Cetus' hands broke and then healed. Their fists colliding sent shockwaves across the ocean.

After a few minutes, both were at a stalemate. Their identical element was doing its job, keeping them going, making them stronger. Markus decided to break that stalemate.

Dodging one of the Cetus' fists, he quickly concentrated on the water around him. He focused on the water molecules. Instead of sticking them together to form ice, he commanded them to hit off each other, heating up slightly. So instead of freezing it, he started boiling it to very high temperatures.

The Cetus roared, about to continue its attack, but paused as it sensed the change in water temperature. Markus took this chance and boiled the water around him. He was fine, as the water temperature had no effect on him as a son of Poseidon, but the Cetus screeched as it was boiled alive.

Above the surface, the others got on the lifeboats and abandoned the now destroyed ship. They looked at the place where Markus previously was with concern. But then they saw the water boil and steam a little, as if it was being boiled.

A few seconds later, the Cetus emerged from the surface. They were worried about Markus' position, until they saw the Cetus screech in agony, being boiled alive. Markus rose from the surface as well, hardening the water so that he could stand on the water. He suddenly had the thought that he was pulling a Jesus.

"Aw, was that too much for you?" Markus taunted, smirking. "Such a shame. I like my fish cooked and boiled."

The Cetus smirked in response to his taunt and headed towards Markus to devour him. The demigod jumped, dodging the rows of teeth ready to skewer him and landed on its head.

Markus gagged smelling the stench of the Cetus' mouth. "Goddamn, when was the last time you brushed your teeth? News flash: mouthwash."

The Cetus tried to shake him off, but Markus just punched it in its head again. Taking out Wavebreaker, Markus steadied himself on the monster's head while it was dazed. Holding it in both hands, Markus carefully walked towards where the back of the Cetus was. At least, he hoped it was there.

With a sigh of anticipation, he stabbed the Cetus in its, at least he hoped, back.

The monster roared in pain, again. To finish the job, Markus quickly ran to the neck of the Cetus. Before it can gain its bearings, Markus gave a roar and slash down at the monster's neck. Because of the added strength from Beowulf, Markus was able to cut through its neck no problem.

The head of the Cetus was severed, landing in the ocean. The now lifeless eyes were white and blank, the head bobbing in the sea. The rest of its body fell into the water turning into gold dust.

Markus landed in the water, feeling pretty damn awesome about himself. He didn't know if the Cetus was famous in the myths or not, but slaying a big ass sea monster was a pretty awesome achievement.

Swimming towards the severed head, he grinned. He was so going to take this as a spoil of war. Except it was huge, and couldn't carry it with him to his cabin at camp. What to do, what to do... oh!

Getting out his charm book from his bag, he opened it, keeping himself afloat. It wasn't wet, since anything he held was instantly dry in water. "Let's see, let's see... Ah hah! Got it." Holding his hand toward the Cetus' severed head, he chanted his charm. "Subtraxerim Utilium! (Shrink!)"

Immediately, the severed head slowly shrinked, until it was the size of his thumb. Swimming quickly so that he could catch it, he placed it in his jacket pocket, zipping it up.

With that, Markus swam to the others on their lifeboats. When he reached them, he grinned. "Whoo! I just went God of War on that thing!"

Percy and Tyson looked relieved that he was alright. Annabeth looked cross, but he could see that she was also glad to see him. Honestly, she worried too much. Clarisse had her usual sneer on her face, but she was ultimately looked pleased to see him too.

However, before they could say anything, there was a loud roar. The roar of another monster. Markus wondered what else was coming when he recognised that roar. It was familiar. Like it was-

Suddenly, a familiar black maw erupted from the sea near them. It inhaled, and suddenly the lifeboats, Markus and the debris from the ship started to get sucked in, heading towards the giant mouth.

"Charybdis!" Annabeth yelled out. "It came back. It must've sensed that the Cetus was killed. It has nothing to be afraid of now."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Markus yelled, controlling the current so that they wouldn't drift towards the mouth. "Just when you finish one task, you deal with another!" Controlling the current got harder as Charybdis kept on sucking everything around it in its mouth. The remains of the ship drifted past them into the mouth, entering the black maw that was Charybdis. It's teeth pierced and crushed the broken ship. A small whirlpool started forming again.

"Damn it!" Percy yelled. "We're not going to make it! We're too close!"

"The hell we aren't" Markus roared. Concentrating, his connection to the ocean strengthened because he was in it, the ocean acted against the current taking them towards the giant open mouth. But it was futile. Even if he did change the current, they would still get sucked in by another current into Charybdis' mouth.

Breathing in heavily, Markus came up with another idea. He used the water to push the lifeboats and himself in opposite directions, just as they were inches away from Charybdis' mouth. The amount of power that he used helped a lot, since the lifeboats shot forward like a bullet in the other direction.

Meanwhile, Markus was sailing in the opposite direction like a rocket, his back hitting the water. The water opened up before him just as he was about to hit it. He could see the others in the distance on the lifeboat. He could briefly see a figure standing on one of the lifeboats, waving their hands towards him. "Markus!" he heard Percy's voice yell, before he couldn't see them anymore.

Markus was left sailing in the ocean, pushed by his own power of the sea.

 **XXX**

As Markus was sailing through the water, he tried to calm his nerves. He was worried about the others. How could he not be?! They were separated and it was all Markus' fault!

No! He couldn't think like that. He had to separate, otherwise they would've been swallowed by Charybdis. Just when they were safe from the Cetus, the monster literally had to open its big ass mouth!

Markus sighed. He could probably swim back to the others, except he didn't know where they were. They could literally be anywhere! And while they were separated, they were no where close to finding the Golden Fleece. Their luck was turning really shitty right now.

Well, he wasn't going to do any good as he was now. Markus was thinking of heading the other way to look for the others when he saw something in the distance. Land? He wasn't sure. He didn't have time to check it out. He had to go check on the others.

... Except he didn't know where they were. As he said before, they could be anywhere.

So what were his options? Check out an unknown island and hopefully get useful supplies, or go search for the others aimlessly, with no clue where they were? It was a no brainer.

Standing upon the hardened water, Markus used kinetic energy to run across the surface of the water. He could've just turned the water into ice and just walked across it, but where was the fun in that? He put in enough speed to run across the water easily, turning the water that he ran across into mist as his legs blurred with crazy speeds.

When he reached the island, he saw a couple of volcanoes in the distance. What the hell were volcanoes doing in the Sea of Monsters? He didn't know. This place was confusing as hell.

"I know I'm probably walking into a trap," Markus muttered. It was blatantly obvious. But what was he supposed to do? He wasn't eager to go running across the ocean to look for his friends, despite him facing no trouble. However, he could get more resources from an area of land. They weren't exactly going to face Polyphemus and get the Golden Fleece in lifeboats, after all. Hopefully, he could salvage a boat for them.

Markus hiked up the long path and ended up in front of a large celestial bronze door marked with Eta, H in Ancient Greek, and the forge god's symbol.

One of Hephaestus' workplaces. Markus wasn't eager to open the door. The last time he deal with the god's inventions, him, Percy, Annabeth and Grover had to face robotic spiders at a water park. Oh, and they were live to Olympus on multiple cameras. Fun times.

Before Markus could even contemplate knocking on the door, the door just opened, very ominously.

The demigod sighed. "I'm probably going to regret doing this." Backing away from the open door, he peered around the island, looking for any signs of entrance elsewhere, or for a mode of transport. A ship, signs of life, anything. Seeing nothing, Markus knew that he had no other choice. "Yep. Definitely going to regret this."

Wanting to be cautious, Markus made a Mist clone in his place to check the place out. As the clone walked through the door, Markus waited for something to happen. Anything.

He waited for what felt like hours, and he was getting impatient. Come on, trap. Spring!

He knew that if anything dangerous happened to his clone, it would disperse in Mist and come back to him, since he cast it.

Markus waited a few minutes for something to happen. Just when he was about to disperse his clone, the sound of lights flashing on came from the dark corridor. After that, the sound of doors closing followed soon after.

"So... some kind of spotlights came on, and my clone is trapped," Markus deduced. Partly because of the fact that the same trick could work twice, from last time, and because it was a trap. It was almost certain the one who sprung it was trapped.

He waited for a few moments for the bad guy to monologue or brag about how they were better than him, or how they were superior than him. He gave a couple of more minutes if there were minions attacking.

Done waiting, he equipped Beowulf to his arms and legs and dashed forward using his super speed. Heading straight for where his clone was. When he reached the end of the corridor, he saw a metal door blocking an entrance.

Rearing his fist back, he smashed the door down with ease, knocking it off its hinges and landing on it as he took in the scene before him.

A giant bronze automaton, almost forty feet tall, held a massive warhammer that was glowing hot in heat. It was in the shape of a man with Greek-style armour.

Around it were racks of weapons that were laden with deadly looking toys, trapdoors and obstacle courses of different kinds.

Markus winced. Okay, he knew that this was a trap, but this was messed up.

"What's this? Another contender? Lovely!" a cheery voice called out from all around him.

He looked at his clone, who was now faded into Mist and faded away towards him. He honestly didn't know what his clone had to face to disperse.

Not wasting any time, he decided to take out the cameras first. " _Ionioi Hetairoi: Girisha Kaze_!" he yelled, his Mistform weapons forming and heading towards about thirty or so cameras. The cameras were pierced and destroyed by the weapons, eliminating any chance of being broadcasted to Olympus.

"That's not very nice!" the cheerful voice said. "Now it looks like you'll have no one to witness your demise! Such a shame, Markus Henderson. Kill him!"

"At times like this, I really wish Zeus was not such a huge ass, and I learnt a spell to fly," Markus muttered, looking at the various deadly traps and the giant automaton in his front.

Seeing the automaton swing its burning hammer, Markus decided to use his new weapon. He dodged the swing and ran towards the automaton's legs. Before the robot - he knew it wasn't actually a robot but still - could move, Markus struck it in the leg. It wobbled a little, heading towards one of the traps behind it.

Markus was going to hit it again, but ducked as a blade whizzed where his head was. It struck the wall opposite him. "Goddamn, it's like a sadist's fun house," he said, breathing in relief.

"I know, right?!" the annoying voice responded happily.

Markus felt like snapping at the voice, but stopped that to avoid getting hit by the warhammer again.

"And, standing at the height of forty feet, The Blazing Talos! It kills, it burns, it keeps you safe from pesky heroes coming to steal your stuff or beg for favours. It's the latest model in Lord Hephaestus' best-selling Elemental Talos series of security automatons! Call in the next two minutes for our two for one sale!"

"Well, I don't like your sales!" Markus shouted, shooting a _Stella Inspiratione_ towards the robot, the spell being much larger for some reason. Must be because of the light charms on Beowulf, and since _Stella Inspiratione_ was a light spell, it made sense that it would be stronger.

The spell hit the robot in its lower half, disintegrating it and causing it to fall down, right on top of the deadly traps behind it. It took a few seconds for the automaton to be reduced to metal pieces as it met its death.

"Yes!" Markus cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

A few seconds later, several doors opened on the walls. More Blazing Talos' appeared, each as big as the one he defeated.

"... You've got to be shitting me!" Markus yelled in frustration. Could he not catch a break?!

"Oh, no. No no no! It's too soon to be alive! So I got you more friends to play with!" the voice continued to comment. Was it male or female? Either way, it didn't matter, since he was annoyed with it.

"Will you shut up?!" Markus yelled as he saw the remaining Talos copies jump high into the air. Markus looked up, following their movements. What did they plan on doing?

It quickly became clear to Markus as he saw them raise their hammers to smash it down unto the ground.

"Shit!" Markus cussed as he looked around the room, hoping for an idea to pop up. Then he looked at the wall, and an idea came forth.

As the Talos' were going to smash their fiery warhammers on top of him, Markus used his super speed to dash towards the wall. He built a lot of kinetic energy into his legs before he ran up the wall using his speed, giving the finger to gravity.

As he ran up the wall, Markus took a moment to appreciate the surroundings that he was experiencing. He'd only seen this kind of stuff in cartoons. And now he was performing the same thing. He hoped that he wasn't going to fall off. He grinned, before he was interrupted from his thoughts from the resounding BOOM from the combined strike of the Talos', their warhammers striking the ground and cracking the floor beneath them. Reaching near the top of the wall, Markus decided to take a leap of faith. Literally.

Reaching the top of the wall, he jumped, acting like Spider-Man as he wall-crawled from surface to surface. He spread his arms like a bird, appreciating the height that he was at, almost floating briefly. Then, gravity kicked in, and he dropped towards the floor, right where the traps and Talos' were.

"Oooh! Are you going to fall to your death? That would be so exciting! the voice said gleefully.

Markus ignored it as he brought his fists back for a haymaker, specifically for one of the Talos' near the side. His two Beowulf-cladded fists crushed the head of the Talos that he landed on, turning into a deformed looking version of Mr. Potato. It crumpled as the other automatons turned upon him.

Markus quickly jumped to one of the other Talos'. The rest turned their gazes onto one of their brethren, seeing the demigod they wanted to kill. They swung their warhammers together towards Markus, the demigod dodging and letting the automaton head he was on take the blows for him. It crumpled like the other one did.

Markus continued playing his deadly version of tag with the Talos', dodging each swing and letting them suffer for their misses.

"No, you fools! Don't destroy yourselves!" the voice yelled, its happy voice replaced by a furious one.

"Guess robots being stupid are true!" Markus yelled in response, ducking and dodging as he moved around each hammer, feeling the heat from each swing that they made. He was starting to love his new weapon.

There was a hiss of a hatch opening, signaling that a new rack of weapons had appeared.

What set this rack apart from the others before it however was that it was stocked with guns. Lots and lots of guns.

"Oi! Who hit that button?" The announcer asked angrily. "The shooting gallery isn't for another ten minutes!"

Markus took a moment to admire the display of guns. Hell, he didn't think guns were even used in the Greek world. "Mine, mine, mine, mine!" he chanted like someone possessed. He landed on the piece of floor that wasn't cracked, and zipped towards the display of weapons. His mouth watered at seeing all kinds of guns: pistols, snipers, shotguns, rocket launchers, all kinds. "Beck is so going to be jealous if he saw this," Markus said, grinning.

"Lower it, lower it!" The announcer panicked. "It'll give the him an unfair advantage."

The rack was lowering, about to disappear, but Markus was fast enough to grab a rocket launcher, several pistols, and a shotgun. Partly as a gift to Beckendorf, and partly because he wanted one as well. Magic was awesome and all, but these were guns! Real life guns!

Markus put the remaining stuff into his bag and cast a shrinking spell onto the shotgun, so it could fit. He kept the rocket launcher close to him, however. He had a diabolical grin on his face as he aimed at the remaining automatons. "Say hell to my little friend!" Markus yelled, accent and everything.

He pulled the trigger.

The Talos' turned from each other to look at several blazing cannon balls of celestial bronze heading towards them. The projectiles collided right into the centre of the Blazing Talos' helmet. This caused them to explode simultaneously, causing a string of explosions to occur and damaging the exterior of the room.

"No! You've ruined everything you fool!" the voice yelled, truly angry this time.

"That was the plan!" Markus yelled back. "Bye!" With that, he zoomed out of the place, punching the wall nearest to him down and heading. Smoke and sparks trailed after him through the hole he created. He just had time to celebrate his victory and catches when he realized that he was falling from a high place.

"Shit!" he yelled, falling down while holding onto his rocket launcher. The hole that he'd made was somewhere in the centre of one of the volcanoes. How he got there, he didn't know. But right now, he had much more important things to deal with. Like his landing strategy.

Seeing the sea surrounding this place, Markus mentally commanded the water to heed his command, ignoring the sharp tug in his gut that he felt from using his powers that much. The water responded to him, rising up from the sea bed that it was on previously. It headed towards Markus, slowly solidifying into ice by his control.

As his feet were about to hit the volcano, and possibly break, the water now turned ice came from below. Markus willed it to turn into a giant ice slide. The slide quickly finished before his feet skidded onto it and went down, slightly surprising him at the speed he was going.

When he got used to the speed, he grinned. "Whooo!" he yelled out in joy as he was ice skating down a volcano. How many people could actually say that with a straight face? None, I tell you!

As he slid down his newly made slide, he quickly cast a shrinking charm onto his new rocket launcher, which was now empty. He could bring it to camp and get Beckendorf to refill it.

He was enjoying the thrill that came with the act, until his fun ended when he reached the bottom. He kept on sliding until he reached the banks of the sea, in which he splashed and landed on his ass. "Damn, what a rush," he breathed out in excitement. He usually wasn't a thrill seeker, but he planned on doing that again. That was awesome.

He was contemplating on what to do now until he saw - more like felt, with his connection to the sea - the waves rippling, signifying that something was coming his way. Markus looked up and peered down the coast, trying to spot what was coming. Hopefully, it wasn't another sea monster.

What he saw was an incoming ship that was heading his way. Markus was about to jump in joy when he spotted the details in the ship. It looked similar to the CSS Birmingham, with its cannons at the deck, but the deck was plated with wood, not iron. That probably wasn't good for the ship, since it would destroy easily. Upon its flag was the symbol of a skull and crossbones, with an eyepatch in the place of one of the skull's eyes.

Markus' eyes widened as he looked upon the flag. It couldn't be... But as he looked at the ship, the flag, the now visible crew dressed in a couple of rags, leather armour and wielding swords, he knew that what he saw was true. Those were pirates.

Markus wanted to think about the fact that pirates were real, but then told himself that this was mythology. He wasn't really surprised by all that he had seen. So with that, Markus formulated a plan. By the time the ship was banking the shore, Markus' plan was complete.

"Hey, brat!" an elderly voice yelled to him. "We saw ya coming from that little volcano there. So ya must have some goods. Pass 'em over, and maybe we might not kill ya!" **(A.N. - Sorry if this sounds like broken English. I just assume that's how most classic pirates talk)**.

Huh. Markus was hoping that they would go something like "Arrgh!" He wasn't expecting them to say that, but it would be pretty funny.

"Yeah, no," Markus replied. He mentally commanded the water to form a pillar under him, raising him upwards and bringing him level with the deck and the crew on it. Now that Markus got a better look at them. They didn't seem like badass pirates. They seemed more like old man in rags.

Most of the crew wore T-shirts with multiple stains on it, cotton trousers and flip-flops. Some even had bottles of beer and swords in their hands. These swords weren't like classic Greek swords, either. They looked more like scimitars. They didn't even seem to have any flintlock pistols with them. Or even a parrot on the ship! Now that was just sad.

An old man stepped up when the crew stepped back in fright and awe at what they were witnessing. Markus assumed that this was the captain of the ship. He had the classic pirate captain hat, with a grey bushy moustache on his face. He held a sword in his hand as well. Though he could tell that he was scared as well from seeing the wobbling in his sword hand.

"W-what are you?" the captain stuttered in fear. Markus smirked. All talk, huh?

"Well, if you must know, I'm the son of Poseidon," Markus introduced himself. He specifically added the 'son of Poseidon' bit because he knew that was a big thing fro sailors and, apparently, pirates.

"P-Poseidon?" one of the crew mates stuttered in fear. With that, the pirates started running around like headless chickens, screaming how they were going go die, and how they tried to rob his kid, making Markus laugh his ass off. Seriously, these guys were too funny without even trying.

Markus gave his best taxi-whistle to get their attention, which did the job. All of the men stood there, staring at him in rapt attention. "Listen, I'm in a bit of a rush. I need a ship. And you just happen to have one. So can I steal your ship, please?"

"O-of course! Take our ship! Matter of fact, take everything we have!" the captain offered fearfully. Of course, he was scared about being rude to the son of the god who monitored the very oceans they sailed on. It'd be foolish to disrespect him.

Markus grinned at him cheerfully. "Charmed. But first, I'm going to need you to do a few things. Firstly," Markus said, the crew listening closely, "I want your hat."

"What, why?" the captain asked.

"To give as an offering to my father for a safe journey," Markus lied. He really wanted the pirate hat that he was wearing.

"Y-yes, of course," the captain said, removing his hat and tossing it to Markus, who caught it and inspected it. Markus grimaced as the hat smelt, badly. He'd have to wash it completely before he could actually wear it.

"Thank you," Markus said. "Next, I'll need your ship. As a token of goodwill for myself to Poseidon." Okay, now he was just bullshitting. A normal person would be able to call his bluff and accuse him. Good thing that these pirates were both gullible and fearful.

"Of course, milord," one of the crew mates said. Milord? Markus had to bite the inside of his cheek not to laugh at that. "But what about us? Where do we fit into all of this?"

Markus grinned sheepishly. "Well, you see..."

 **XXX A few minutes later XXX**

"Full steam ahead!" Markus announced, having the ship all to himself. He was at the front of the ship, directly in front of the steering wheel. He wasn't worried about sailing the vessel. As soon as he put his hand on the wheel, knowledge of how to sail it, how to operate it, how to maintain it flowed into his mind. It was a handy power to have in this situation. And as for the pirates...

"Good luck, milord!" the captain shouted, waving his hand to the ship sailing in the distance. Him and his crew were stranded on the island that Markus was previously on, having been convinced to stay here so that he would put in a good word to Poseidon. Like sheep, they instantly listened to him.

"Hope ya have a safe trip!" another crew member yelled, the others wishing him in similar ways, waving happily towards him. Those poor, mislead fools...

 **XXX**

"I'm bored," Markus muttered, pouting as he steered the wheel.

It'd been two days since he'd left that Hephaestus hideout and hitched a ride on the pirate ship. Since then, it had been smooth sailing for him. Must've been Poseidon watching over him. Or maybe it was one of his abilities as a son of the sea. Either way, he was grateful.

But that was the problem at the moment. Because of the calm sailing, he was bored. Like, seriously bored. So bored that he had assumed that boredom literally was bored of him. He'd been standing here for almost the past two days, only taking breaks to eat the food that the pirates had left for him, which was actually good, and also resting a little. There was a lot of beer and rum, however. And since Markus wasn't old enough to drink, or interested in alcohol, he didn't touch it. He could probably use it for something else later.

Markus could probably leave the ship as it is and just wander around the ship again, but he didn't want a case like the Cetus to happen again. Sure, he was practically invincible in water, but still.

So he just hung out at the wheel, humming pirate songs (because he was bored), wearing the pirate captain hat on his head after scrubbing it, like, twenty times. Seriously, that thing smelled like shit.

Not only that, but he was no where close to finding the location of Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse and Tyson. He could've been going around in circles for all he knew.

He knew Percy and Tyson would be okay since they had Annabeth with them. She knew how to get out of tough situation and could quickly come up with plans or escapes in small amounts of time if needed. Plus she could work well under pressure. And he wasn't too worried about Clarisse since he knew that she was one of the strongest fighters at camp.

Closing his eyes, he decided to pray to Poseidon, which he almost never did. "Dad, please," he begged silently. "If you're listening, please let me find the others. Please."

After his prayer, he opened his eyes. And immediately after that, he knew that Poseidon wouldn't listen. Even after making up with his dad last summer, he didn't hold his breath that he would answer again.

Markus sighed, looking up at the sky in boredom. The sky looked so peaceful. He usually wasn't one for cloud-watching, but he decided that he could try. Huh, wonder what that trail of black smoke was-

Immediately Markus blinked in confusion. Black smoke. What the hell?

Markus looked into the near distance following the origin of the black smoke. Black smoke came from fire. If there's a fire, there must be an island close by. And if there's a fire with that much smoke that meant trouble.

But should he really be spending time trying to look for trouble? Much less help with it? No way. He had to look for the others.

But what if the others were on that island? Could he really ignore the signs of trouble and possible leave them there? But he didn't really want to waste valuable time and effort just to check the island, only to see that they're not there.

Markus clicked his teeth. What to do, what to do?

Wanting to leave his decision to chance, Markus took out a quarter that he had on him. He didn't know where he got it from, or how he had it all this time, but he didn't complain. "Heads, I go check on the island and find out. Tails, I ignore it and move on." Flipping his coin and catching it, he saw that he got heads. "Well, guess I'm checking on the island," he muttered to himself.

He could quickly feel the shift in the boats direction as he followed the smoke trail. It was a little thin at first but slowly it began to get a little bigger and thicker indicating that he were getting closer.

Going towards the front of the boat, he narrowed his eyes and used his relatively sharp eyesight to focus on the smoke trail.

It took a few moments before he could see a speck just in the distance that could only really be an island.

"Hopefully I won't regret this. I just hope if any of my friends are there then they are okay," Markus muttered to himself. He hoped that if he met any of his friends that they'd be alright.

When he got closer, he saw that he was staring at what looked like a large spa resort. The place looked beautiful and he thought it would have been a great place for a holiday visit. There were palm trees, white sandy beaches, beach tables with half drank drinks sitting on side tables, an outside bar with all the works. It kind of looked like a paradise.

Well he knew it would have been paradise. The only problem was that the docks and buildings were on fire along with what he believed look liked pirates, which weren't as wimpy as the other ones, chasing women around and pillaging anything they could find and get their hands on.

Markus ignored the scenes for a moment and looked at each person running. Trying to see if they looked like any one of his friends. But no such luck.

 _This was a waste of my time,_ Markus thought to himself. _They're not even here_.

But he couldn't talk like that. He hadn't scoured the whole island, yet. Markus figured that if he could help the women who were running from the men, they could possibly give him answers as to where the others were. And if not, then he could find some more supplies for himself and the group when they reunited.

"Well, time to play 'hero'," Markus muttered sarcastically. He could probably put out the fires with the surrounding water around them.

Anchoring the ship to the side and jumping off of it, Markus began making his way through the spa resort. When he saw a small archway he found the name of the resort:

 _C.C.'s Spa and Resort._

Interesting name.

He made his way through and saw a young girl about his age with black hair and light brown eyes and had nymph-like features was trying to keep one of the pirates away with a chair but it quickly got swatted away by the man. He was a big man with a large potbelly and a red bandana over his head.

Markus used his super speed to suddenly appear in front of the woman. Both the man and woman appeared to be shocked.

"No means no," Markus said to the pirate as he performed a powerful side-turning kick to the man's gut making his eyes bulge out of their sockets before Markus performed a backhand fist towards the man's face, knocking him out.

He then turned around to look at the woman who looked off guard and her dress was in tatters. Seeing that her dress would fall off at any moment, he pitied her and grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over her.

"Here this should keep you covered," Markus said to her. Sure, he was only doing this to find information on his friends, but he still felt sympathy for the woman.

"T-Thank you," she muttered back to him. "W-Who are you?"

"I'm Markus. I was just passing by when I saw the smoke coming from the island, so I came to check it out. What's going on?"

"I-I don't know," the woman stammered. "One minute, everything was peaceful, and then the next, we're attacked by pirates! They were locked up with no way of coming out. Circe said that-"

"Wait!" Markus stopped her. "Did you say Circe?" Was she talking about the same Circe from the myths? What was an immortal sorceress doing here?

"I did."

"We talking about Circe, the immortal daughter of Hecate and the woman Odysseus met during his long trip home? The sorceress that turns men into pigs?" he asked with his eyes quickly looking around. He did not want to be turned into a pig.

"Yes that is her. This resort and this island is hers and is a haven of sorts to women. Any man that comes here is turned into a guinea pig to her amusement while the women are given a life of luxury as well as binding themselves to the island."

Markus looked around nervously. "She isn't here, is she?" Markus asked. He did not like getting turned into a porker today. He sighed in relief when she shook her head.

"No she disappeared yesterday after this invasion began. We have not seen her since and I somehow doubt she will be coming back." She looked like she was about to say more when she saw the pirate hat on his head. She stepped back in fear as she looked at the symbol that was identical to the man that attacked her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Markus asked, seeing her fear. He followed her gaze to his head, and immediately realised what she was frightened about. "No no no no no!" he said quickly. He took off his hat, kicking himself mentally for not removing it sooner. "I'm not a pirate! I'm a demigod. I'm here to help you. See?" He put his hat into his backpack and held up his hands in a calming gesture. "I'm not going to hurt you, I swear. I'm here to help."

The woman visibly calmed down seeing his gesture. She took a few long breathes to get herself back to normal. "I-It's fine. I believe you. You wouldn't have helped me if you were a pirate."

"Oh well I guess that's good for me then." he said to himself while the girl looked at him in amusement. "Then do you think you could tell me just what is going on here? Plus I never got your name." He said as he picked up a fruit bowl and threw it towards a pirate that was running towards them and promptly knocked him out. This got the girl to chuckle a bit.

"I apologise being rude. My name is Maya."

"It's okay, Maya. Do you mind telling me what happened?"

"Not at all. It all started yesterday. Three demigods arrived on our island, two boys and one girl. The girl was of course given a place to stay here while the two boys were given a choice to make and made the wrong one. They were both turned into guinea pigs. When the girl found out she threw some weird vitamins into the cage with the guinea pigs and made them turn human again. However it also turned the other guinea pigs which happened to be a band of pirates. They left on the pirate's ship, 'The Queen Anne's Revenge'."

"Wait," Markus said, hoping to keep the excitement out of his voice. "Was the girl blond with grey eyes, and one of the boys look similar like me?"

Maya looked confused as to why he was asking, but still nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"No reason," Markus said with a giant smile on his face. Percy and Annabeth were here before! And if he had to guess, then the other boy was Tyson! This was great! "Please, continue."

"As I was saying they took Blackbeard's ship and-"

"Wait, hold up," Markus interrupted, annoying Maya at being constantly interrupted. "Did you say Blackbeard's ship?"

"Yes it is," she said looking at him as if she was stating the obvious.

"Are you telling me that Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, the most notorious pirate to have ever existed is on this island right now because he was turned into a guinea pig and is now raising all kinds of hell on this place?" Markus asked incredulously. First, actual pirates. Next, Blackbeard? That was actually really cool at the moment, but Markus didn't voice his thoughts.

"Yes that is what I said is it not? Blackbeard is a son of Ares and has begun burning this place to the ground."

"His dad is Ar...you know what, that doesn't really surprise me," Markus said. Seeing how destructive Ares was, he was not that surprised the infamous Blackbeard happened to be one of his children.

"As I was saying, this enraged him to the point where he has swore to destroy our home." she said looking a little tear eyed. "This place is where I was born and where I was raised. Now it is being destroyed and I will have to find somewhere new to live."

"Looking at her sad expression, Markus wanted to comfort her. He initially came here to find information on the others. Now that he'd found his lead, he technically didn't need to be here. But he couldn't just ditch the women without helping. He could admit he was an ass, but he wasn't heartless. Damn, why did he have to grow a bleeding heart now?!

"Hey now it will be okay," Markus said patting her shoulder. "Everything is going to be okay. I'll help rally as many survivors as I can find and take them to the docks where it is safe. None of the pirates will be able to hurt any of you again. I promise."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Really," Markus nodded, before Maya jumped him and wrapped him in a hug.

"Thank you." she said as she broke the hug and played with the blanket that was wrapped around her.

"No problem," Markus said, blushing a bit. He then looked towards the girl. "You know for someone who lives on an island where no boys are aloud, you certainly do not mind hugging one and giving him compliments," Markus said as he looked at her strangely while she shrugged.

"We don't hate boys. We have just been taught that it best to show men that it is the women that are in charge and that we call the shorts. There are many groups out there that do not have any boys in them, but that doesn't mean the all women hate boys. Well, except the Hunters of Artemis."

"Who?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow, never hearing of them before.

"Never mind," Maya said, shaking her head.

And with that, the two began walking. He looked around and saw most of the fires had been put out though the buildings looked like they were not going to be used any time soon. The support beams and the walls were a mess and the roofs looked like they were barely holding together as it was. Markus used his super speed to zoom around the island, knocking out the pirates and bringing any women he saw to the place where Maya was. When Maya was able to explain who he was, the women gave him many hugs as thanks for his actions, making Markus blush like a tomato. How cute. He put out any fires he saw with water from the shore, displaying his demigod heritage to those watching. They were shocked at the powers that he displayed.

When he gathered about roughly thirty women, he was about to head into the main entrance. Maya looked like she was about to say something a scream rang out through the air catching their attention and it was not far away.

Markus told the women to stay together and remain safe as he went inside to see what was happening.

Markus ran though the destroyed halls jumping over the broken chairs and tables that littered its way and the destroyed vases and plant pots that were shattered beyond fixing.

He could hear a loud commotion coming from a large hall a little in front of him and could hear a girl screaming along with men laughing and steels hitting each other.

It did not take long to get there and when he did and saw what was happening, Markus' blood began to bold tremendously and his anger was quickly rising to downright furious.

 **XXX Warning - attempted rape and murder scenes below this point. If you aren't comfortable reading this, then skip until the bold text. XXX**

In the middle of the hall were seven people. Five were men and two were girls. The men were all large and slightly overweight wearing scruffy shirts and pants that had rips all over them. They all had big grins on their faces.

However, one was different and Markus recognised him immediately. He was a large figured at six foot five and had a long black beard that was braided in some area's but scruffy and let lose in to hers. He had semi long hair that went just passed his shoulders and a dirty grubby looking face with two of his teeth being made of gold. He wore white shirt over long black pants with a faded red long jacket over his shoulder and a sword strapped to his side. He was Blackbeard the Pirate.

It was when he saw the two girls that he felt sick and disgusted, because one girl who looked to be the older of two was being pinned to the ground screaming at Blackbeard to get away from her sister while the other girl who was the younger of two and looked to be around his age was bent over a wooden table doing her best not to cry while Blackbeard grinned from behind her playing with the hem of her dress.

"You two wenches have been causing us a lot of trouble on this island. I lost some of my best men because of you two," he said motioning to all the dead bodies of pirates that littered the ground. There must have been around a dozen in total. "Now you two will have to pay some repercussions because of it."

"Being a guinea pig for so long has left certain needs that need to be taken care of and we will start with the youngest." He said while began to lift up the young girl's skirt. The other girl on the floor was screaming at him to get away from her but before he could even begin to unbuckle his pants belt, the cries of his men came from behind him. He looked behind him to see his men pierced with dozens upon dozens of weapons. They were still screaming with agony as their deaths weren't quick or merciful. Their screaming was of that of suffering men. Their blood was pooling the ground that they stood on.

Both girls and Blackbeard looked managed to look past the gruesome scene to see a boy. But the boy didn't look like a boy. With his glowing emerald eyes, furious expression similar to an enraged dragon and the powerful aura surrounding him, he looked like a wrathful god.

And Blackbeard was the source of all that wrath.

"W-who're you, bo-" But Blackbeard didn't get to finish his sentence as the boy suddenly disappeared. No, not disappeared. Blackbeard knew that because the next second later, he felt an enormous amount of pain in his jaw.

"Aaah!" he screamed as he held his broken jaw, a couple of loose teeth falling from it. "Wha-"

Blackbeard didn't get the chance to say anything as his hand was cut off, straight from the wrist. The pirate didn't register the pain until a second later. "Fu-"

And the next second, he was lying on his back, his neck held by the vengeful god. Because that was all that this... this being was in front of him.

The two girls continued to watch the terrifying scene with rapt attention. The older girl held the younger one protectively.

" **You**..." the voice echoed, voice laden with a mix of power and rage. " **Scum like you... deserve death**. **And I will happily deliver it to you**."

"Wh- what the f-fuck are you?!" Blackbeard yelled in panic and fear. Just what was this demon?!

The being that was Markus didn't answer. He was so filled with rage, with hatred, with so much destructive anger that he accessed his divine powers. Connecting with the liquid, the blood, the _water_ inside the filthy pirate, he _pulled_. He directed all the water that he felt towards him, all the contained water in him, he pulled it all in. Water was his element, meaning that all Blackbeard had... was _his._

"No, stop!" Blackbeard yelled, feeling weakened. But it was too late. As the two girls watched, Blackbeard slowly turned from the pirate that they knew, to the dried, leathery corpse that they saw right now. He was slowly drained dry, robbed of all liquid, all blood, all the water by this... this demon.

The demon who had saved them from a fate worse than death.

 **XXX Scene ended. Safe to read now XXX**

 **And that is all done.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. This was the longest one that I'd ever written. So enjoy.**

 **Hoped you liked all the scenes in this one. If any of you thought the fight with the Cetus was too quick, or easy, or Markus was overpowered, well... you're right, it was. That was the point. If you want to complain, picture this: a son of Poseidon is fighting a sea monster. In. The. Ocean. Plus, with the way Beowulf was made, it was an obvious and easy win. End of story.**

 **The scene with the Hephaestus forge was a little add-on that I wanted to put in so that I could put in the idea of using guns for the story. Which will be a big thing later on.**

 **As for the scene with the pirates before... I wanted to add that.**

 **Oh, and the scene at the end. Well, I wanted to add mature content, and there you go. Lemme know what you thought about it. Pretty dark, if I do say so myself, but that's just me. The two girls at the end were Hylla and Reyna respectively, with Reyna the one who was almost raped. Yeah.**

 **And the thing that happened with Blackbeard is the same thing that happened to Luffy when he went up against Crocodile the second time in One Piece, only Blackbeard died. Painfully. Looks like Markus gained a new power.**

 **Thanks to all those who followed, favourited, read and reviewed the story. Thank you all and love you so much.**

 **Read and Review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27:**

As Markus calmed down from his rage-induced trance, he realized what he had done. And he looked at the scene, with the skewered corpses of the other nameless men, and the withered and pathetic corpse of Blackbeard, and almost threw up at the gruesome scene that was in front of him. The gruesome scene that he had caused.

This, this was like the scene with Gabe from last summer, but at least he didn't kill the man then, only indirectly. This time, their deaths were caused by his hand. He didn't regret killing them, but it was the way he went about it that caused him to recoil in shock. Because he lost control of his anger, which he'd been trying to calm down and control it, he'd killed several men and practically _drained_ , at least that was what it looked like, Blackbeard.

Markus almost shook from fear. Was his anger that powerful that he unknowingly unlocked a new power to kill the pathetic pirate? He wasn't even that ecstatic about getting a new power to use. He wasn't shocked or horrified by the deaths. He'd grown somewhat desensitised to death, though not fully, due to him living on the streets for most of his life. But he _was_ horrified due to how he went about killing them. Markus never really feared his anger up until now. It was a part of him, so he shouldn't fear it. But know that fear was slowly resurfacing.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a small hand on his shoulder. He almost flinched, but managed to look at who's hand it was. His eyes met the older girl, with the younger one standing behind her, looking at him with fear and amazement.

"A-are you okay?" the older girl asked in concern. Markus was shocked that, even with all that had happened, she was still concerned about him. He smiled shakily, then frowned, and then smiled more firmly. "Yeah, I am, thanks. Though I should be asking you the same thing."

The older girl nodded shakily. "Y-yes, yes we are okay. Just a few scraped and bruises, nothing too serious," she said as he nodded and then looked to the younger girl who just continued to stare at him.

Markus got rid of any rising fear or nervousness in his heart. He wasn't going to act weak when the girls needed help first. He could deal with his situation later. "And you?" He asked again in a surprisingly gentle tone.

It took her a few moments but she nodded her head and spoke in a quiet tone. "I am okay. Thank you for saving me." Her voice was firm, but Markus still saw the lingering fear in her eyes when she looked at him. He couldn't blame her for that.

"You're welcome. I 'm just happy that I got here in time. That piece of filth got what he deserved," Markus said, knowing that, although his anger gave him some annoying insecurities, he didn't regret what he did.

"If you had not come…" the younger girl said before she began to cry silently. The older girl gently began to soothe her and calm her down while Markus walked towards her and gently patted her shoulder comfortably. He silently pitied her for having to go through that at a young age. Hopefully, she could move past this and become stronger. She seemed like a tough girl.

When the young girl began to calm down the older girl looked at him and took his hand. "I can never thank you enough for saving us. May the gods bless you," she said with a smile on her face and eyes that beaming with gratefulness.

Markus smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead, he just nodded.

"May I know the name of the one who saved us from a fate worse than death?" she asked, wanting to know who their saviour was while the younger girl peaked towards him.

"Markus Henderson, son of-" He was about to say 'Poseidon' when a voice in his head, one that belonged to his father, yelled in his head, _Neptune! Say Neptune!_

Markus looked off to the side, confusing the girls as to why he paused. _Dad? Is that you?_

 _Yes, son. Though, not exactly_ me. _Listen, don't tell the girls you are my son. Just say 'Neptune'._

 _Isn't that you? Well, your Roman name?_

 _Yes. You weren't supposed to figure this out, but circumstances have caused this. Now say it!_

Markus looked mystified as to why his father was mentally telling him this, as well as responding to him now of all times. And he couldn't even drop in through Iris message.

He was interrupted by a snapping sound in front of him. He turned to look at the older girl, who was snapping her fingers in front of his face and looking annoyed. "Hello? Anyone there?"

He blinked. "S-sorry. Got lost in thought. Anyway, I'm a son of Neptune."

Both girls' eyes widened at that. With that, the younger one still had her awed look, while the older one looked at him appraisingly, with a hint of respect and... was that lust? "Despite your... heritage, I can see you're a skilled warrior. It's no wonder the pirates fell to you." Before he could comment on the matter on his heritage, the girl introduced herself. "My name is Hylla and this is my younger sister Reyna."

So they were sisters as he thought. He thought. As he looked at the two sisters he saw Reyna just continue to look at him in wonder while Hylla looked at him with a look that he had seen a couple of times. He was flattered, really, but he wasn't sure if now was the time to bring it up to her.

"Why were you glowing?" Reyna asked curiously as she stared at him.

"Uh, that's just something that I do when I'm mad," Markus explained, having never seen this kind of 'glow' that she was talking about. It must've only kicked in when he was really mad. "Come on let's get the two of you out of here," he said extending both of his hands to the two girls. Hylla took his hand almost immediately while Reyna looked a bit more subdued before taking it.

Gently helping the two up he began to lead them away and towards the safe zone.

Along the way he talked with two in gentle tone and got to know them a little. The two girls had arrived when Hylla was five and Reyna was two and had spent their days growing up in Circe's resort and who welcomed them with open arms.

Both knew that they were demigods but neither had an idea who their godly parent was except the fact that they knew it was their mother. Plus they said during the fight with the pirates they felt a surge of energy and a symbol appear above their heads but neither got a good look at them due to the pirates. All they knew that they were suddenly very familiar with weapons and began to give the pirates an ass kicking before Blackbeard and his group subdued them.

Markus had to respect their determination. They were fighters, all right. Though he was confused on their heritage. From their description, they sounded like children of Ares, but they said it was their mother that was their divine parent. Maybe Athena, then? But they didn't look like the typical Athena kids.

"Hylla," a voice called out as they approached the safe zone and saw a girl lunge forward and wrap Hylla in a hug before grabbing Reyna and bringing her into the hug as well. "Thank the gods you are both okay."

"It's good to see you, Kinzie. We are fine thanks to our hero," Hylla said nodding towards Markus, which made the girl called Kinzie to look at him, and coyly smile.

Kinzie had nymph-like features similar to Maya, but she had light brown hair and light green eyes. She looked to be around his age. Then Markus remembered that she was one of the girls that he saved from a particular pirate.

"Ah, yes. Our hero. He did save me too. I think he deserves rewards, don't you think?" she said in a rather seductive tone that made shivers run down his spine. What was with these girls?

Hylla stepped up and, before Markus could say anything, pressed her lips against his, shocking Markus. He stayed frozen as Hylla continued to kiss him for what felt like five seconds, even weirdly adding tongue in also, before separating from his lips. Leaving him a blushing, stuttering mess.

"W-wha-" he got out, before Kinzie stepped up, holding his face gently. "Come on, _hero_ ," she teased. "Accept your reward with a straight face, at least." With that, she proceeded to kiss him the same way that Hylla did. The kiss lasted longer than the last one, before Kinzie stepped back, a smirk on her face as Markus was, impossibly, blushing even more than before.

"I-" Before he could even get another word out, he received another kiss, this time on the cheek. It seemed Maya had stepped up, deciding to kiss him on the cheek. Good thing, too. If he got one more kiss on the lips, he might've fainted. As Maya stepped back, Markus had a stupid grin on his face. _That felt nice_ , he thought to himself.

"I think our hero likes his rewards. How cute," Kinzie smirked, making Markus break out of his daydreaming.

"Yes, it seems he does," Hylla agreed, a coy smile on her face.

As he shook himself from his thoughts, he looked around to see the group gathered and all looking towards them. All were girls and were a mixture of what he guessed was demigod's girls and nymphs. They were all looking at him in gratitude. Thank the gods that they didn't kiss him. He probably couldn't handle it.

"So what exactly do we do now?" one of the girls asked looking at Markus expectantly. "Our home has been destroyed."

"Well..." he spoke as he began to think. He looked at the ship and knew immediately that it would not hold all of them. Plus he had a quest to continue.

 _I can't just leave them but I cannot turn back either. Plus even with a boat they may have to go," through Charybdis and Scylla to get out. I wouldn't recommend that to them,_ Markus thought to himself. Then he had an idea. _Might as well, since he does owe me for keeping a 'supposed' secret._

Do any of you mind going to Camp Half-Blood?" Markus asked. At their confused looks, Markus was about to explain, but was interrupted by his father speaking to him mentally again. _No, Markus! They cannot go there!_

 _And why not?!_ Markus relayed mentlly, annoyed.

 _I will explain later. I know where to take them._

 _You mean you'll help me to transport them?_

 _Yes. I know where most of them need to go._

Markus smiled, but then a thought came to him. "I'm so stupid," Markus muttered to himself. Looking at the group of females, who were looking at him in worry, he said, "I know what to do. However I have to ask this question to all you girls first. Is there any of you that do not feel comfortable being around boys?"

The group of girls gave him an odd look before two of them stepped forward.

"Okay," Markus nodded. Then he tried relaying his thoughts to Poseidon, uh, Neptune. _I have two girls that aren't comfortable around boys. Ideas?_

 _Don't worry about that, son. I'll just send them to the Hunters of Artemis. Looks like Artemis will owe me a favour for later._

 _Who are they?_ Markus asked mentally. There was that name again.

He could hear his father chuckle in his mind. _They're a group of maidens led by Artemis herself who have sworn an oath of chastity. Don't worry about it._

 _Okay. But afterwards, you have to explain what that whole 'Neptune' business was._

 _Markus, I-_

 _Nope. You expect me to keep a secret that I have no idea about. What if I suddenly blab something out and that's unknowingly the secret. If this concerns them, then I have to know._

He could hear his father sigh heavily. He didn't feel any sympathy for Poseidon, though. If this concerned his new friends, then he had a right to know. _Fine,_ the sea god said regretfully. _But you must swear on the Styx not to reveal this information to anyone you know at Camp Half-Blood or Olympus. Not even Perseus._

Markus knew that this secret was a huge deal if he was told to swear on the Styx. He sighed. _Fine._

Markus looked at the other girls, who were looking at him expectantly. He smiled. "Just wait a moment. Follow me."

Markus made his way to the shore, the girls following him. As he made his way near the water, the girls looked at him, confused. They were about to ask what he was doing, when a dolphin broke the shore, standing on its... well, not legs, but tail, in the water.

Trailing after it were a group of more dolphins following. Markus looked towards the lead dolphin. He didn't seem like much, but Markus could tell that this dolphin was important. He, Markus assumed that it was a he, even seemed to have a divine aura around him, indicating that he was a god. Probably a general for Poseidon or something.

 _Milord_ _,_ came to Markus' mind. He didn't flinch from the mental message, having already guessed that it was the dolphin in the front. His heritage to the sea allowed him to understand easily.

Markus didn't know if he should bow or not, so he gave a short bow to the lead dolphin. "Uh, hello. May I ask who you are?"

 _I am Delphin, milord,_ the dolphin responded in his mind. _God of dolphins._

"A pleasure to meet you. Though there's no need to call me milord." Markus wasn't sure if he should add 'lord', since he wasn't sure what to do. He was never really respectful to gods anyway, with the ones he met outside of the Greek pantheon being the exception.

 _But I must. You are considered royalty, the son of our king_ , Delphin replied. That made Markus blink. He was royalty? So that made him a prince?

Markus grinned, filing that thought for later. "Fine. Do you know-"

 _What Lord Poseidon has sent me to do? I do._ Delphin turned his gaze to the other girls, who looked at him and his other dolphins in amazement. _I know where to send them._

"Okay," Markus said. "Thank you very much. Send my regards to my father."

 _I will_ , Delphin replied with a high-pitched chatter. **(A.N. - I'm going to assume that most of the girls are Roman, so they're going to Camp Jupiter. Only the nymphs and some demigoddess will go to Camp Half-Blood)**.

He turned to the two girls who weren't comfortable with boys. "Okay, you can go first."

Both of them looked nervous but determined. They looked towards him with a smile. "Thank you for saving us," the two said, before hopping onto two lone dolphins. With a chatter, they dived underwater, taking the two girls with them.

"Now to Camp Half Blood," he said as he waved his hand again over the girls that would go to Camp Half Blood.

"I will see you girls soon. The camp might be in a bit of bad shape when you get there but it will be back to normal soon," he said.

The girls nodded and understood what he meant before they too hopped onto a dolphin each and disappeared underwater.

"I guess this is goodbye hero," Hylla said with the girls looking a little sad.

"Don't worry about it. I am sure we will see each other again. You never knew when we might cross paths in the future," Markus said. He intended to meet up with them to check up on them. Damn them for giving him a fucking bleeding heart.

Reyna then stepped forward and the quiet girl hugged him. "Thank you for saving me."

"No problem," Markus muttered softly. After a few seconds they both ended the hug.

No words had to be said as Markus just smiled at her and nodded before Reyna rejoined her sister and held her hand. The two older girls looked like they wanted to do the same but Markus quickly beat them to it when he began to speak.

"Maya you said earlier that there was three people that came to island yesterday and were responsible for this mess. Which direction did they go in?"

"Uhhh..." Maya looked off into the distance, and pointed near the right of where they were currently. "Just right of here, roughly. Why?"

"They're my friends and I've been looking for them since we got separated. I've been looking for them, as well as another girl, since."

"Your friends with them?" Reyna asked looking a little stern as he nodded.

"Yeah. I understand that you may hate them for what they did, and I can't blame you. I apologise on their behalf," Markus said, with Hylla waving her hand dismissively.

"You don't need to apologise for them. However, I hope you don't blame me for not wishing them well as they sail onwards," she said with a hint of anger in her tone.

"I don't blame you," Markus said. Normally, he would've stood in the others' defence, but he couldn't really say anything as it was their fault. "When I meet them, I plan to give them an ass whooping, verbal and physical."

"You had better or I will be taking a spear and shoving it where the sun does not shine to them," Hylla suggested which was back up by the other girls. Markus shivered at the threat. Damn, those guys really screwed up, didn't they?

A chatter sounded next to them as Delphin, even though he was a dolphin, looked impatient.

"Right sorry," Markus said before looking at the girls. "Take care all of you. I wish you all the best."

"Thank you Markus, you will always be our hero," Hylla and Kinzie said together, making him blush while Reyna settled with a simple wave and a smile. The girls got on top of the other dolphins, before they - including Delphin - disappeared.

Markus sighed as the group of girls disappeared. Now, he was about to contact Poseidon on his little 'secret'. Seeing a lone drachma on the floor, he picked it up and walked to the shore. Manipulating a small amount of water to turn into mist, he was able to form his own make-shift rainbow. Markus said, "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering."

He threw the drachma into the rainbow, seeing it disappear in a golden shimmer.

"Poseidon," he said firmly. The mist was turning clear, showing a throne made out of sea shells, coral, and other sea life. Despite what it was made out of, it looked royal, like it belonged to a king.

Seated upon the throne was Poseidon, god of the sea. His trident, his symbol of power, hung in a ring near his throne, slightly humming with power.

Poseidon looked the same as he did last summer, smile crinkles and everything. His father smiled at him. "Markus, my boy. It is good to see you."

"Hello, Dad," Markus said with a smile. "It's good to see you, too. Sorry to call you so suddenly, but I wanted to hear what you wanted to say."

"Yes, the incident involving those girls," he said, his smile fading and being replaced with a frown.

"What's wrong with them? They aren't bad or anything-" Markus was saying but Poseidon shook his head.

"No, my boy. There's nothing particularly wrong with them. You just weren't supposed to meet them," Poseidon said.

"Why? And be direct. There's no need to hold anything back," Markus said firmly, wanting to know what was wrong.

Poseidon sighed. "Usually, demigods aren't supposed to know this secret. Period. But I know that you're stubborn. One of the many traits you've inherited from me. Plus, I know that you're tough and able to handle yourself, which makes me proud. But this is something serious. I'm not even supposed to be telling you this. So you must swear on the Styx not to reveal this situation to anyone. Am I clear?"

Markus was about to agree, until a thought came to his head. "Wait. What if the situation was dire, and I needed to reveal it to someo-"

"Markus." Poseidon's voice was stern and unyielding, telling him that he was pushing his luck. Gulping, Markus relented. "Fine. I swear on the River Styx not to reveal the knowledge of this secret to anyone on Olympus and Camp Half-Blood."

Thunder boomed in the sky, signifying the oath.

Poseidon nodded. "Thank you. Forgive me being stern, but this secret is important. If it were to get out, there's a good chance there could be war. Even before the incoming one with Father."

Markus nodded, knowing how serious this was. Suddenly he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it, but he steeled himself.

"The Olympians have two different forms that we take. One is the Greek one, where we give birth to you as we are. But we have another one." As soon as Poseidon said that last part, he grunted. Markus was about to ask what was wrong until he saw Poseidon's form shift. It was almost instantaneous. One second he was wearing his Bahama shorts and had the whole fisherman vibe, the next he was wearing a white dress admiral uniform. His features were the same, although his black hair showed signs of greying at the side. And he seemed to look more stern than usual.

"This," Poseidon, or whoever he was, said in a baritone voice, "is my Roman form. Something that all the Olympians, practically all the gods, have."

Markus blinked. He wasn't that surprised. He always questioned what happened to the gods after the fall of Rome, along with their influence. His mind wasn't really blown, having already met gods from different pantheons. Still, it was a surprise. "S-so, just as you have a Greek form, you also have-"

"-A Roman form, yes," the now revealed Neptune confirmed, nodding his head. "We are the same god, but have different names, influences, attitudes, etc."

"Like a split personality," Markus compared. "You're the same person, but just... different."

"An apt comparison," Neptune nodded with a smile. "In this form, I am called Neptune. I may appear more... stern, more strict. Most Romans are like that."

Markus nodded. He certainly looked the part. Then he caught onto what he said. "Wait, are? Then that means that, just like Greek demigods, Roman demigods exist also! Which means that there's also a camp for them as well."

"Both correct," Neptune smiled. "Glad you have a good head on your shoulders. Yes, like Camp Half-Blood, there is also a camp, near San Francisco, for Roman demigods. That is where I have sent the most of the girls." Suddenly, his face twisted and strained. Suddenly, Neptune had transformed into Poseidon, with the whole laid back vibe and everything. He winced. "My goodness, that is hard to maintain at times."

"You alright?" Markus asked in concern. Poseidon just waved away his concern.

"It's alright. Just have to deal with a headache at most times when I shift into Neptune. So, anyway, now you know."

Markus nodded, taking the new information in. It certainly was a surprise to learn that. Then he looked to Poseidon. "Why is it that Greek and Roman demigods aren't allowed to meet or know about each other?"

Poseidon sighed heavily. "All I will say is that most of the wars that you know of in history, have been caused by conflict with the Roman and Greek demigods. There was large amounts of death, bloodshed, carnage. It... it was too much. So the Mist was heavily used to separate the two, so that no further conflict could arise. Greek and Roman shouldn't mix. They are natural enemies. If they were to meet... it wouldn't be pretty. Just be thankful that no conflict arose when you met the several girls that were Roman. And by the way," Here Poseidon had a proud grin on his face. "I'm proud of you for turning your ship around and saving those girls from those pirates. You are truly a hero."

Markus grunted, a little embarrassed and disgruntled at Poseidon's praise. "I'm not a hero. I only came because I assumed that Percy, Annabeth, Tyson and Clarisse were here. I didn't do it to save them."

"Then when you learned that they weren't here, why didn't you leave?" Poseidon asked with a raised eyebrow. When he received no answer, he smiled knowingly. "Markus, I know that you don't believe in the notion of heroism. I know that your thoughts are different from your brother. While your brother has the heart of a hero, your heart chooses differently." Poseidon chuckled at Markus' surprised expression. "Don't look so surprised. Despite not being there for you for a long time, I have been watching over you. Your thoughts, while not dark, are somewhat jaded from your past experience. I do blame myself for that," he said when he saw Markus about to say something, "I blame myself for not being there for you. For allowing what happened to Melissa to happen." At his mother's name, Poseidon's face seemed to darken. "No matter what you say, I will always hold the guilt for what happened to Melissa in my heart. But that doesn't change the way that I love you, my son. Even if you decide to join the Titans, even if you decide to burn the whole world, I will always love you."

Markus would forever deny the tears coming to his eyes at Poseidon's declaration. If there was any doubt of Poseidon caring about him, it was wiped away at that statement. Straining to ignore the feeling to cry, Markus furiously wiped away any incoming tears. "Damn you, you old man. If you keep talking shit like that, Blue Boy is going to get jealous."

Poseidon chuckled at that. "Have no fear, Markus. I love you and Perseus equally. There will be no favourites. And remember, if you choose not to follow the path of a hero, that is fine. But also remember those that you hold close to your heart, and stay true to yourself. If you do that, you will truly be happy."

"... Where the hell do you get all that sappy shit, you old geezer?" Markus asked, feeling a tug on his heartstrings.

"I should wash out your mouth with soap, young man," Poseidon said, playfully stern.

Both father and son looked at each other for a moment, before laughing. It was a heartwarming scene for both of them, and both would treasure it.

"So a hero and anti-hero pair, huh?" Markus said in thought. He grinned. "Guess me and Blue Boy would make an awesome duo."

"That you would," chuckled Poseidon. "Speaking of which, you should probably follow after them. They might be in trouble."

"You're right!" Markus said after a moment of realisation. How the hell could he forget. "Uh, Dad? Could you help direct my ship towards Percy's location? He's more than likely to be with the others."

"Have no fear," Poseidon said with mirth. "I'll direct to Perseus. How is your trip, by the way?" And so, Markus told him everything, from the encounter of Charybdis and Scylla, his battle with the Cetus, his trip to one of Hephaestus' forges, and his deal with pirates.

By the end of his tale, the god looked at him with pride. "So young, and already performing impressive and legendary feats. You have made me proud, my son."

Markus smiled. It was nice to hear praise from his father, even if he didn't need it. It felt good.

"Your feats will be told of from far and wide. I'll make a legend out of you in no time," Poseidon said with a smirk. "And also brag to Zeus and the other Olympians. Though I doubt Hephaestus will be happy with you raiding his forge."

"Oh, yeah. Speaking of, when were you going to tell me that me and Percy were practically royalty?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, what's that Amphitrite? You need me for that, uh, thing?" Poseidon said nervously, trying to find an excuse.

"Oi! Don't try that shit with me, old man!" Markus yelled, annoyed.

"What was that, son? You're breaking up! Can't hear you!" Poseidon said, waving his hand through the mist, the Iris message disappearing.

"Shitty old man..." Markus muttered. He sighed. "Well, time to go. Oh, one more thing." With that, Markus used his super speed to zip towards the corpses of the pirates. Taking hold of Bleackbeard's sword, he cast a shrinking charm onto it, putting it into his pocket. Blackbeard may not be a monster, but he was still pretty evil as far as Markus was concerned. Besides, spoils.

Getting Wavebreaker out, he wrote the Greek rune for fire on it, lighting it with flames. With that, he stabbed at the corpses of the dead pirates, looking with a steely face as they slowly burned. When the last remains were burnt, he sighed heavily, getting rid of surfacing memories.

Then he zipped down through the main entrance, getting to what looked like the main part of the spa. It looked trashed, with almost everything looking destroyed. But he didn't focus on that. Speeding around the place, he found several things: a bookshelf that contained books. Markus hid his excitement as he took one book, looking at it eagerly.

 _Beginners Guide to Transfiguration, by Hecate._

Markus almost squealed with joy as he beheld the book. He figured that a sorceress like Circe would have a stash of magic books, and it looked like he was right. "The Hephaestus and Hecate children will probably worship me if I bring these stuff to camp," he said happily. With a greedy gleam in his eye, he used his super speed to quickly grab each magic book off the shelf and cast a quick shrinking charm to place it in his bag. Damn, he was going to need another bag for all this stuff.

As he took each book, he caught a brief glimpse of the title each one had. _Guide to Potions. Alchemy Performances. Spell-weaving..._ The list was endless. Markus was practically drooling at what he was stashing away. With all of this, he could catch up to the Hecate children in terms of magic in no time! All these spell books! All this power! He wanted it all!

Pretty soon, the shelf was cleared and Markus' bag was feeling slightly heavier. Markus was about to leave when his 'greed senses' were tingling. It wasn't an actual thing, but he was still high on greed to think normally.

Checking the area where most of the dead pirates were. Seeing a silver necklace with a skull on it, he decided to take it. With little success, Markus managed to calm his greed down and remind himself that he was still on a quest.

Going to his ship, he set sail, the boat responding to his command. Pretty soon, he was ready to sail. Surprisingly, the ship seemed to have a mind of its own. Looks like Poseidon was doing his part in helping him find Percy.

Markus smirked. Now he he had time to read the new magic books that he obtained!

 **XXX**

Markus sat on top of the boat, reading up on the book on spell weaving and charms, dozens of other similar books surrounding him.

He was wearing his pirate hat with his skull necklace around his neck and Blackbeard's sword strapped to his side. His shirt changed a little. It was a white T-shirt that was open, exposing his chest and stomach that had lean muscle and a slightly visible six pack. He wore blue jeans that was tied by a yellow sash around his waist. To finish the look, his aviator jacket was worn over the shirt. He looked like an official badass pirate. Though he wasn't sure if he could take pride in the title after witnessing the events of the pirates at Circe's island.

It was just a day after crashing onto the island, the ship making good time. He should find the others in no time.

Now he was reading on spell weaving and actually wielding his magic as it was. Pure magic. Currently, he knew defence magic, offensive battle magic, runes and several charms. Now he was reading about wielding pure magic to implement attacks from the ideas that he had come up with.

Not only that, but he had attempted and successfully recreated the Sonido technique now that he had time. It wasn't easy, and it was a little painful and taxing to perform, but he had managed it. Now he was planning to implement the sound effect.

His notes were in full display as he constantly wrote new ideas that popped into his mind, and how he could use magic to apply them.

Taking a break from his notes, he looked up at the shore. Grabbing a set of binoculars, he looked through it and could see a bunch of cliffs protruding out of the water with a few sets of caves being just about visible.

In front of the cliffs was a large wooden boat that looked like the kind they had five hundred years ago with a pirates jolly Rodger flag on top of the mast. On the side of it was the name: _Queen Anne's Revenge_.

Markus grinned. He'd finally found them. Then he noticed that around the ship there looked like some weird bird like figures swooping around it and diving towards the deck of the ship.

He sighed. "Trouble seems to be following us a lot," he muttered. He stepped to the back of the ship, then ran around the ship, gathering speed. Getting enough kinetic energy, he jumped off the pirate and ran across the water and towards the ship.

As Markus dashed towards the others, he saw Percy fighting human-sized vultures with dirty plumage, grey talons and wrinkled pink necks. As he saw Percy fight the things with Riptide, he saw the faces of the monsters shift into ones Markus knew, like Tyson or Sally.

 _They must have the ability to turn into anyone that you know,_ Markus thought, feeling sympathy for Percy for having to deal with that. That was a tough monster to face. Looks like he would have to pick them off at long range. Markus was about to cast a spell when a thought came to him and he grinned.

As Percy fought the Sirens, he heard a loud BANG, like a gunshot. Immediately, one of the Sirens fell to the ground with a thud and disappeared in a shroud of golden dust.

Percy looked a little taken back before he looked where the Siren was and saw a bronze bullet on the ground.

He looked confused as he tried to look upon the newcomer.

"Need help?" A voice came from behind him and there standing with his back leaning against the wall with a gun in his hands was Markus. He looked to be wearing some sort of pirate costume, hat and everything. It looked completely ridiculous, but also very cool.

"Markus!" Percy yelled to his brother, going to give him a hug when Markus held up his hand, stopping him.

"As much as I am happy to see you, you need to pay attention to your surroundings Percy," Markus said making Percy look back to see the last Siren diving towards him with it talons out just like the last few thinking it could take him out while he was distracted.

"Wave!" he yelled a little desperately as a strong torrent of water shot out from the ocean and slammed into the Siren, knocking it to the ground.

As the Siren struggled to get up, Percy quickly appeared next to it and drove Riptide into its chest. The Siren convulsed a little at first before it disappeared just like the rest. Markus looked at Percy with a raised eyebrow. Did Percy have to yell out 'wave' every time just to summon a wave? Markus could do it wordlessly and sometimes without even thinking of it. Seems he was going to have to teach his baby brother how to use his powers better.

"Good job," Markus commented getting a happy smile from Percy who quickly went over and hugged his brother.

"You don't know how worried we have all been," he said making Markus roll his eyes a little before nodding and giving him a quick hug back before the two broke apart.

"Where did you get a gun? And why are you dressed like a pirate? And where have you been?" Percy rattled off worriedly. Markus could understand his concern.

"In order: from a hideout belonging to Hephaestus. Because I stole from pirates and I look badass. And that is what I want to talk with you about. But we'll discuss that little tidbit later. Where are the others?" Markus asked at the end.

Percy winced a little before he explained to Markus what happened with the Sirens. Apparently, as they passed by these sets of cliffs, Annabeth saw that these cliffs were the home of the Sirens where if someone heard their song and survived whatever trauma they were forced to hear and endure then they came out from it wiser than before.

Being the proud girl she was, Annabeth believed she could take it and made Percy promise to cover his ears and not help her, even if she begged and pleaded for him to do so.

Percy honestly admitted that it was one of the hardest moments of his life having to watch Annabeth shout at him in pain as he put wax in his ears to dull out the Sirens' song.

Then when he had turned around and looked back at her, she had somehow got out of the chain she had placed on her wrist to keep her tied to the mast of the ship and dove into the water and swam towards the Sirens.

He had swam after her of course and easily caught up to her before the two went under the water and he formed a bubble around them so they could breathe.

She was motionless at first and sobbing into his chest. No doubt, it had been too much for her then he thought. Annabeth always did have a problem with her pride.

When they finally made it back onto the ship and had Tyson take her to get rested the Sirens had left their perches on the side of the cliffs and began dive-bombing towards them.

Percy also admitted that he didn't know where Clarisse was after separating from her at some point.

When Percy was done with the explanation, Markus sighed. "That stupid girl."

That got Percy a little angry. "Hey. Don't be so hard on her. She-"

"-Was a fool," Markus finished firmly. He got that Percy wanted to defend her, but he wasn't relenting. "If she knew that people who had listened to the Sirens' song came out mad or experienced severe trauma, then her situation is her fault. Even more, she believed that she could take it whereas other heroes more wiser, more smarter, more older fell victim. She's a giant fool. Some daughter of Athena she is."

"Shut up!" Percy yelled in anger. Markus didn't have to be hard on her. He agreed that she got a little proud, and this showcased it big time, but couldn't he see that she was injured?! "You can't just insult a person when they're not here. Moreso when they're in critical condition!"

"Then I'll say it to her face," Markus said coldly. "And remind her how big of a fool she was until she curbs her pride. I just hope that what she experienced was worth it."

Both brothers glared at one another, dual sea green eyes staring into each other. Percy looked like he was about to say something, but Markus interrupted him. "Look, let's just meet Annabeth and Tyson and look for Clarisse. My guess is that she was kidnapped by Polyphemus, otherwise we would've known that she was safe."

Percy didn't say anything as Markus walked to the Siren that he had killed and picked up a long scraggy looking feather that had remained.

"Another spoil to add to the cabinet, you may as well get yours as well," he said as Percy looked around and picked up the two feathers from the two Sirens he had killed. They both looked up at the cliff face to see a few of the Sirens that had not attacked burrowing into theirs holes in the wall.

Markus scoffed at them before Percy led him down the ship and where Tyson and Annabeth were waiting.

The ships itself he had to admit was pretty cool and it was very big. Though there was a lot of dust and cobwebs all over the place signaling it had not been used in however long it was.

 _I doubt Bethy enjoyed all the cobwebs,_ Markus thought as he was led into what looked like some kind of dining area where he spotted Tyson leaning over Annabeth who had a drink of water in her hands and a blanket over her shoulders.

She heard them enter and smiled gratefully at Percy when she saw him before she noticed Markus a little ways behind him making her eyes go as wide as possible.

She put the drink down and threw the blanket off her and launched herself at Markus, hugging him tightly.

Markus couldn't resist the smile on his face as he hugged Annabeth tightly. Despite disagreeing with her way of thinking, he was glad to see her again. As well as Tyson.

"You idiot! Do you know how worried I was? We were all looking for you," she said sobbed into and beat his chest at the same time. Markus felt guilty at making her and the others worried. "Why? Why did you fight the Cetus alone? If we'd fought it together, we-"

"-You'd be dead, Annie," interrupted Markus, holding her tighter to himself. "I get that your worried, but I was a son of Poseidon. I was the one strong enough to fight it. I had to, Annie." He patted her back gently, hearing her sniffle into his chest. He didn't know Annabeth was _that_ worried about his health. It did bring a warm feeling to his chest, though.

"Still you were reckless," she said as she stepped back and began wiping the tears away and watched as Tyson came over and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Good to see you too bro," he said to Tyson as he patted him on the back. However, he could hear the sniffles that Tyson was making. Ugh, it was getting onto his jacket.

"B-brother! Missed you very much! Was worried about you!" Tyson blubbered out as Markus patted his back, ignoring the bone-crushing hug as he held onto Tyson. "Aw, Tyson. Come on, you're a big boy. No need for tears." Markus listened to Tyson's low sniffles as he hugged his brother.

When Tyson finally managed to let him down - after a very long hug - Markus gave Annabeth a stern look.

"You want to talk to me about reckless? "What about listening to the Sirens' song?" he said raising an eyebrow at her making her shift a little uncomfortably.

"I thought I could handle it but it took me by surprise and what I saw made me want it so badly."

Tyson looked curious at what it was while Percy and Markus had a look of understanding on their faces.

Markus walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Annie-"

"I saw my mum and we were together with my dad in Central Park. It looked so real and I wanted it so badly and would have done anything to have it. I can still hear it in my ears as if telling me I can still get it."

"Annie, I know you want it," Markus said as he gave her a small side hug. "Look, one day that possible could happen. And if it can, I will help you. But don't focus on it too much. I know you want it badly, but for now we have to focus. "We should get away from the Sirens habitats. As long as we are near them, they can probably still inflict some kind of harm to us."

"Yeah," Annabeth nodded shakily. She smiled towards him. "Thanks."

Markus smiled. "No problem."

They were so focused on each other that they didn't see Percy's look of jealousy at the two.

As Annabeth looked at Markus, she blushed at seeing his open shirt and visible six pack. "Why are you wearing that?" she asked, still blushing.

Seeing this, Markus grinned cheekily. "You like what you see?" he asked teasingly.

Blushing harder, she looked away, huffing. "No. You look ridiculous."

"I look badass," Markus corrected. "Don't be hating on my hip fashion sense."

"You're such a dork."

"And you're a nerd. You done with the name game?"

"Guys," Percy interrupted, hiding his extreme jealousy. "We need to prep the ship. I'll do it now." With that, he went back to take care of the ship.

Markus looked to Annabeth, surprised. "He can control ships too?"

"Yeah," Annabeth nodded. "I suppose you can do it, too?"

"Yeah, I can," Markus nodded. "Good to see that Percy can do it as well. So from where we are how long do you think it will take to get to Polyphemus' Island?My guess is that Clarisse already got there before us. I don't like the idea of her being on that island with the strongest and most famous Cyclops there is."

"I agree," she said "We just have to hope she's smart enough not to do anything rash."

"It's Clarisse," Markus pointed out with a deadpanned look. Annabethb paused, and then looked worried. Markus patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Clarisse may not be the smartest, but she's tough and has more sense than her siblings. Or at least I hope so."

Annabeth nodded shakingly. Looking at her he notice how pale she was and guessed the whole Siren incident had taken a lot out of her. Though he did plan on scolding her and Percy for theirs action of Circe's island, he figured it could wait until Annabeth was feeling better.

Deciding that she had enough excitement for one day and that she needed her rest, he bent down a little and picked her gently up in his arms.

"Let me go," she grumbled half-heatedly.

"Nope. You're tired, so I'm putting you to sleep. Where's your room?" Markus asked.

Annabeth grumbled, but helped direct him to her room.

By the time he got their Annabeth was out like a light. He put her on the make shift bed and pulled the covers over her.

Markus was silent as he looked upon her. She looked so cute while she was sleeping.

Wait, what? Markus blinked at what he thought. And then his mind suddenly drifted to the thoughts of Kinzie, Hylla and Maya, and them kissing him. His face turned tomato red at the embarrassing, and pleasant, thought.

Markus shook his head. He could deal with his budding teenage hormones later.

They were making good time to Polyphemus' Island. Pretty soon, the quest would be over, they'd rescue Clarisse and Grover and recover the Golden Fleece.

When he left the room he cracked is shoulders a little before making his way back up on deck.

Just because he could not scold Annabeth for the actions of Circe's Island, it didn't mean Percy was going to be safe. It was his job as the older brother, after all.

 **Done and dusted. Hope y'all liked the chapter.**

 **Here, Markus had a moral debate, revealing his fear of his own anger. We also get an insight on Markus' thoughts and heart and what he feels towards the whole 'hero' society. The secret of Roman gods being real as well is also revealed. Poseidon and Markus have a good ol' father-son talk (the feels!). Markus gets more magic to learn from Circe's Island, dresses like a pirate - because it looks badass - meets up with the others and... uh, what else? Oh! My boy Markus getting his first, second, and thi- actually that last one was a kiss on the cheek, but still. I'm so proud of him.**

 **Next chapter, they go to** **Polyphemus' Island, rescue Grover and Clarisse, retrieve the Golden Fleece, meet Luke, etc. The Sea of Monsters arc will end in one or two chapters. Which is good. Two books down, the rest to go.**

 **The Reviewe named 'Guest' who reviewed the story: I like the idea of giant water/ice avatars from Pacific Rim. That will be implemented in the story... probably during 'The Last Olympian' or in the 'Heroes of Olympus' series. If I get there, hopefully. Thank you very much for that.**

 **And a big shout out to all those who favourited, followed, read and reviewed the story. Love you all! Oh, forgot to mention: last chapter was a sort of Halloween gift to you all. So, you're welcome.**

 **Read and Review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28:**

"It really does not look like anything I thought it would," Percy said on the bow of the ship as he, Markus, Annabeth and Tyson looked at the island in front of them. The island looked like an island of paradise with sandy white beaches, tropical tees with coconuts in them along with high hill tops. The place felt fresh but old at the same time, as if it was a land forgotten in time.

"What did you expect? Large caves with skeletons surrounding it?" Markus asked as Percy shrugged.

"Kind off, yeah," Percy said back while Annabeth rolled her eyes at him.

"It must be the Fleece," Annabeth explained. "It has regenerative properties remember. It must be the reason why the island is so lush and beautiful."

"If we take it away, will the island die?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "It'll fade. Go back to what it would be normally, whatever that is."

Markus shrugged. "Well, no skin off our chin, then."

As the Queen Anne's Revenge got as close to the shore as it could get without getting stranded all the residents were worried.

They had contacted the camp yesterday afternoon to check how things were going and unfortunately they weren't not going well.

Katie managed to intercept the message and explained that everything at camp was in shambles. Mr. D wasn't doing jack shit - Markus' words, not hers - and they were short on supplies. Thankfully, Tantalus wasn't there to make their lives worse.

Also the attacks had increased to nearly four times a day. They were lucky that they had only been attacked during the night once but thing were slowly getting worse and worse every day. They were lucky that no one had died yet but the med bay was beginning to pile up to the point where they had to set up tents to take some of the more lightly injured.

The Apollo kids were exhausted having to keep healing people, the Ares kids were on their last legs being on the front lines all the time, the Hermes cabin were managing so far but eventually they would come crashing down to, the Aphrodite cabin complained more than usual while the Hephaestus cabin was busy trying to keep the building from collapsing.

They had a few days left and they knew that. The group knew that they had to get their asses in gear and speed the quest up if they wanted to have a chance at saving their home.

Though Markus and Percy were both a little annoyed at the Olympians for not doing anything to help their kids. Instead they both knew they were either just sitting on their thrones and just watching or doing whatever they did to waste time. And they claimed to care about their kids.

Though as soon as the Iris message as over Markus chewed out Percy and scolded Tyson lightly for the actions on Circe's island. Tyson cried a little before Markus patted him on the back just telling him it was a mistake and he knew he didn't mean anything by it. Markus honestly didn't have the heart to chew Tyson out. The guy was like a giant, muscled teddy bear.

Percy though did face a small punishment performed by Markus due to his rights as the older brother. So much to his hatred and to everyone else's amusement, Markus tied Percy to the front of the ship with half his body in the water for the rest of the day telling him he would bring him back up when he learnt his lesson. Honestly, the whole thing was supposed to be a punishment, but Markus was enjoying himself too much, as well as everyone else. He wished that he'd brought a camera.

Though Annabeth did not get off lightly either and spent the rest of the day when she had woken up to being tied to the mast of the ship and also told both of them that when they got to camp they would be apologising to the girls he rescued that went to Camp Half Blood.

Neither fought it and knew they were in the wrong despite the circumstances they were put in. Damn, Markus was really taking the whole responsibility thing seriously, even though he was the last person to talk about being responsible.

"You know the island kind of shapes looks like a saddle," Percy said looking at the island as the others looked at him with odd expression on their face. "What?"

"Thank you for that piece of wisdom, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, making Percy huff and cross his arms as they all began to pile into one of the small row boats and made their way to the island.

"Wonder if we can build a beach here. The place seems nice," Markus commented.

"I don't think Polyphemus would want any neighbours," Annabeth said.

"Meh. We're going to fight and possibly kill him soon, so..." Markus said, shrugging at the end. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

All of them looked over the island, trying to figure out where to go to. Markus looked around until his eyes darted along the beach shore and as he looked over to his right he could see a small black figure resting on the beach. His eyes widened when he saw it was the shape of a boat and began running towards it. The others followed after him.

"Why he run so far?" Tyson ask as he tried to keep up though is large lumbering body was obviously not well build for running.

"A boat?" Annabeth said as they neared the other small boat on the shore line before her and everyone else's eyes widened when they saw it was one of the lifeboats from the CSS Birmingham.

"So Clarisse was here," Markus said. "She probably got kidnapped by Polyphemus." As they looked over the boat, they were surprised it was still intact. Markus was impressed that Clarisse made her way here alone. Guess he shouldn't underestimate her.

Closing his eyes, Markus concentrated on his 'water sensing'. Since he knew that Clarisse and Grover were here, it should be easier to track them with the water in their bodies. Expanding his senses, Markus used every part of his concentration, ignoring the water nearby, the water inside the others, and focused on finding Clarisse and Grover.

It seemed futile, but Markus continued sensing. And then he could pick up two water signatures. They were pretty far, but he could sense them. He tried sensing Polyphemus, but struggled to do so. Maybe because he was a monster, and so probably didn't have water in his body to sense.

"Got them," Markus said, surprising the others.

"How?" Annabeth asked, confused.

"I can sense the water in people. In their blood, their saliva, their sweat, etc. The same way I can sense water in a lake or ocean, I can sense the liquid in living beings," Markus explained, getting awed looks from Annabeth and Tyson. Percy, however, looked shocked and a little jealous.

Markus filed away his brother's look of jealousy for later. "Come on. I can sense them." With that, Markus went off in the direction he'd sensed them, the others following him.

They made their way through the island jungle and could feel themselves gradually going up the hill. The path was very uneven and they had to take it slowly otherwise they would lose their footing.

Markus hacked through the bushes with Wavebreaker, though the others couldn't help but notice it looked as if someone had already hacked their way through. Markus looked to the ground and found very faint looking foot prints in the ground.

The foot print was large and broad, giving him hope that that it belonged to Clarisse. If she made her way through here then he wondered just how long ago she was here and where were they now.

"Clarisse was definitely here," Markus said as the others look around the foot prints. "At least we know she got some distance and the foot prints continue to track forward," he said now taking the lead as the others follow after him.

They followed after at a quick pace while narrowly avoiding the potholes in the ground before they found themselves at an open field where all four stopped.

They found themselves staring right towards a giant oak tree where they could all see some gold glittering on one of its branches.

"The Fleece," Percy said looking at it before making a motion to go forwards to grab it. Though he was quickly stopped when Annabeth grabbed his shoulders and stared out at it.

"Wait," she said. "It seems easy, almost way too easy."

"That's a good thing, though," Percy said, but Markus shook his head.

"No, she's right. It would not be left out in the open like this. Not without some form of protection. Some sort of shield around it or maybe a creature guarding it," Markus guessed as Annabeth nodded.

"Usually it some kind of creature like a dragon like Ladon in the Garden of Hespirides or a three headed dog like Cerberus in the Underworld."

"What, do I have to entertain the guardian again?" Markus asked jokingly, getting the others to snicker at the thought of what happened last time. Tyson just looked confused.

"Well they have sheep," Percy muttered pointing towards the large groups of sheep that look a little abnormally large then regular sheep that he had seen.

"Yes, the guardians of the mighty Golden Fleece is a herd of sheep," Annabeth said playfully as they all noticed a deer come wandering out of the bushes on the other side of the field and was looking around and began heading towards a small ravine.

Then they all watched as the sheep all suddenly lifted their heads up in perfect unison and looked over towards the deer. The sheep all bleated at once and rushed the animal. It happened so fast that the deer stumbled and was lost in a sea of wool and trampling hooves yet no noise came from the sudden dinner for the sheep.

After about thirty second the sheep began disperse and went back to what they were doing before the deer arrived which revealed a now set of clean white bones in the place where the deer formally was standing.

"... Suddenly they don't seem so cute and fuzzy," Markus commented nervously. Annabeth just let her jaw hang low after what they just witnessed. Everyone had a knot form in their stomach and did not feel very hungry.

"They're like piranhas," she said, now thinking twice about her comment earlier.

"Piranhas with legs to be more specific," Percy added while Tyson and Markus nodded in agreement before a thought hit Percy.

"You guys don't think Clarisse just charged in and didn't think that the sheep were dangerous do you?" he asked a little skeptically while the other were just silent as his proclamation and eyed the sheep before eyeing the ground round them.

Markus shook his head. "Nope. I can still sense two water signatures. That must be Clarisse and Grover." That statement seemed to reassure the others.

"So what do we do?" Percy asked. "Do we stay here and try and get the Fleece or do we try and find Grover and Clarisse first?"

"If we stay and try and get the Fleece, I or Markus could try and turn invisible and sneak around them and get it. It might be our quickest method," Annabeth offered but Markus shook his head.

"My guess is that that have strong noses and ears. They'll still be able to smell and hear you. One wrong slip up and you become just like that deer," he said as she paled at the thought. "So it is definitely not safe to do it alone."

"Can't you just use magic to get rid of them and get the Fleece?" Percy offered since it sounded like a good idea in his head. Markus thought about it for a moment, contemplating.

"If I were to attack them, the rest that are remaining may attack, which wouldn't be good. I could send a Mist clone to distract them, but they have strong senses. They could probably tell if it was fake." Markus listed off the possibilities.

"So I guess we find Grover and Clarisse first then?" Percy asked getting a nod from the others.

"It seems like the best thing to do at this point," Annabeth said. "Since we do not know a way to get past the sheep, maybe regrouping with them will help us come up with a plan to get past the sheep and grab hold of the Fleece." She turned to Markus. "Can you still sense them?"

Markus closed his eyes and concentrated. Now that they had advanced through the island, he could sense Grover's and Clarisse's water signature better now. "Yeah, I can. Follow me. Let's not keep our bride waiting." The others snickered, knowing he was talking about Grover.

As they walked, Markus was leading the front and following his senses, Tyson behind him with Annabeth and Percy together bring up the rear now.

"You think we are ready for this?" Percy asked Annabeth as they checked behind them to make sure none of the flesh eating sheep were following after them.

"We're gonna have to be. Polyphemus is not going to be easy by any means but if we want to get the Fleece and save everyone then we don't have a choice but to face him."

"But we have Markus, though. He can take care of Polyphemus, right?" Percy asked. Annabeth nodded slowly, though she didn't look happy.

"I agree with you. But that doesn't mean we have to keep relying on him to bail us out. Markus is the strongest in our group, true. But we can't just expect him to fight all of our battles, like with the Cetus. We are all going to need to get stronger for what lies ahead of us."

Percy thought about what she said. "I get that. It's just that, how are we supposed to do that? We're brothers, both sons of Poseidon, yet it feels like he's always one step ahead of me every time. When he fought the Cetus, the Chimera and Echidna and Medusa last summer, even Ares. We both fought him together, yet it seemed like Markus was the one who pushed him back the most and did more damage than I ever could. All I've ever done is kill the Minotaur, and even that pales in comparison. I-" He stopped, not wanting to sound jealous, but that's exactly how he felt.

Annabeth smiled at him knowingly. "I think I get what you're trying to say. But you don't have to be jealous of him, Percy. Markus is your brother. He'd be more than willing to help you. Not only you, but I too want to get stronger, so that I don't get my hand held in every battle."

Percy nodded. He always knew that he was jealous of his brother. How he could use magic, how he was better at using his powers than he was. But that wasn't Markus' fault. He should be able to know when to get stronger and how to handle his own training. _I guess I really need to start training more and I need to start fighting my own battles more_ , Percy thought to himself.

Markus smiled, having heard their conversation. Though he wanted to laugh when Annabeth essentially gave Percy the long version of telling him to grow a pair and man up, he knew it would hit Percy hard and would help resolve him more, giving him a confidence boost that was needed.

As the demigods and cyclops continued walking, they came to a giant cave a little ways off in the distance.

"So this is it?" Annabeth asked.

It was only about five minutes walk away and was easy to get to if you were big enough which no doubt Polyphemus was. No doubt it was handy if anyone tried to steal the Fleece form the island.

Markus could feel the water signatures of Clarisse and Grover now. He contemplated on whether he should go invisible or not. Then again, apart from Annabeth, Percy and Tyson had no way to go invisible, so that point was out.

A little ways off and into the cave they spotted the Cyclops Polyphemus. He looked like a more stronger, meaner and uglier version of Tyson. Then they all saw Grover troy along in front of Polyphemus still wearing a wedding dress which made them all feel a little relieved that their favorite satyr was still alive and in one piece. Though they snickered at the wedding dress he was wearing.

"Definitely doesn't suit Grover," Percy whispered with three heads nodding in unison.

"You're a feisty one!" Polyphemus bellowed loudly. The others looked towards Clarisse, who looked somewhat fine. She didn't seem harmed, but she was angry. And she was tied up, hanging upside down over a giant pot of boiling water.

"Challenge me!" Clarisse yelled. "Give me back my sword and I'll fight you!"

The monster roared with laughter.

The group crept to the edge to see more. Annabeth looked like she was trying to think of a plan.

"Hmm," Polyphemus pondered. "Eat loudmouth girl now or wait for wedding feast? What does my bride think?" Polyphemus turned to Grover, who backed up and almost tripped over his completed bridal train. "Oh, um, I'm not hungry right now, dear. Perhaps-"

"Did you say bride?" Clarisse demanded. "Who- Grover?"

Markus groaned silently. "Please. Please keep quiet."

"What did you expect?" Annabeth sighed. "She's a fighter, not a thinker." That made Markus sigh in defeat. She had a good point.

Polyphemus glowered. "What 'Grover'?"

"The satyr!" Clarisse yelled.

"Oh!" Grover yelped. "The poor thing's brain is boiling from that hot water. Pull her down, dear!"

Polyphemus's eyelid narrowed over his baleful milky eye, as if he were trying to see Clarisse clearly.

The Cyclops was an even more horrible sight than he had been in their dreams. Forget the earlier statement, calling him an uglier version of Tyson was an insult to the big guy. His rancid smell was now up close and personal. Partly because he was dressed in his wedding outfit - a crude kilt and shoulder-wrap, stitched together from baby-blue tuxedoes, as if the he'd skinned an entire wedding party.

"What satyr?" asked Polyphemus. "Satyrs are good eating. You bring me a satyr?"

"No, you big idiot!" bellowed Clarisse. "That satyr! Grover! The one in the wedding dress!"

By this point, Markus was silently banging his head on the stone floor while Annabeth's head was in her hands and Percy just wanted to ring her neck, while Tyson looked on, confused. But it was too late. All they could do was watch as Polyphemus turned and ripped off Grover's wedding veil - revealing his curly hair, his scruffy adolescent beard, his tiny horns.

Polyphemus breathed heavily, trying to contain his anger. "I don't see very well," he growled. "Not since many years ago when the other hero stabbed me in eye. But YOU'RE-NO-LADY-CYCLOPS!"

The Cyclops grabbed Grover's dress and tore it away. Underneath, the old Grover reappeared in his jeans and T-shirt. He yelped and ducked as the monster swiped over his head.

"Stop!" Grover pleaded. "Don't eat me raw! I - I have a good recipe!"

"Now's the time to act," Markus said and both he and Percy reached for their swords.

"Wait!" Annabeth hissed.

Polyphemus was hesitating, a boulder in his hand, ready to smash his would-be bride. "Recipe?" he asked Grover.

"Oh y-yes! You don't want to eat me raw. You'll get E coli and botulism and all sorts of horrible things. I'll taste much better grilled over a slow fire. With mango chutney! You could go get some mangoes right now, down there in the woods. I'll just wait here."

"At least he can think on his feet quickly," Markus muttered, grinning at the satyr. Percy and Annabeth nodded in agreement.

"Grilled satyr with mango chutney," Polyphemus mused. He looked back at Clarisse, still hanging over the pot of boiling water. "You a satyr, too?"

"No, you overgrown pile of shit!" she yelled. "I'm a girl! The daughter of Ares! Now untie so I can rip your arms off!"

"Rip my arms off," Polyphemus repeated.

"And stuff them down your throat!"

"You got spunk." The giant said, making Markus smirk.

"Let me down!"

Polyphemus snatched up Grover as if he were a wayward puppy. "Have to graze sheep now. Wedding postponed until tonight. Then we'll eat satyr for the main course!"

"Thank the gods for stupid monsters," Markus muttered quietly.

"But... you're still getting married?" Grover sounded hurt. "Who's the bride?"

Polyphemus looked toward the boiling pot. Markus and Percy had to bite their cheeks to stop themselves from laughing so loudly.

Clarisse made a strangled sound. "Oh, no! You can't be serious. I'm not-"

Before anyone could do anything, Polyphemus plucked her off the rope like she was a ripe apple, and tossed her and Grover deep into the cave. "Make yourself comfortable! I come back at sundown for big event!"

"NO YOU OVER GROWN MORON!" Clarisse screamed. "I won't marry you ever!"

Then the Cyclops whistled, and a mixed flock of goats and sheep - smaller than the maneaters - flooded out of the cave and past their master. As they went to pasture, Polyphemus patted some on the back and called them by name - Beltbuster, Tammany, Lockhart, etc.

When the last sheep had waddled out, Polyphemus rolled a boulder in front of the doorway as easily as someone would close a refrigerator door, shutting off the sound of Clarisse and Grover screaming inside.

"Mangoes," Polyphemus grumbled to himself. "What are mangoes?"

He strolled off down the mountain in his baby-blue groom's outfit, leaving them alone with a pot of boiling water and a six-ton boulder.

 **XXX**

"So what are we going to do?" Percy asked. He was the first to walk up to it and attempt to move it though the six ton boulder quickly made it clear it did not want to be moved any time soon and quickly he gave up so he did not end up injuring himself for not being able to move the current immovable object.

Even Tyson with his Cyclops like strength could not make it much even a centimeter before he gave out and was out of breath. It showed just how superior Polyphemus was compared to the young Cyclops.

Annabeth meanwhile stood directly in front of it and was rubbing her chin as if she was trying to think of some kind of logical way to move the boulder.

"Let me try," Markus said, walking up to the bolder and placing his hand on it.

"Markus, you can't move a six ton bolder out of the way," Annabeth said, though she was surprised when Markus grinned.

"Annabeth who ever said I was going to move it? I am going to do one better that. It'll be a little noisy but a lot quicker. Matter of fact..." Markus walked away from the boulder and waved his hand widely. "Επικαλούμαι: Ήχος Εμπόδιο. (Invoke: Sound Barrier)." **(A.N. - This is a spell, not a charm. If you want to know the difference, spells involve invoking magic - sort of - and using it to perform what you want, making them only dependent on the caster and their imagination. Charms are basically improving or adding something to an object or person. Took that from online).**

From Markus' hands, a clear type of energy came forth. It started to spread around the area that they were standing in. Pretty soon, a large, clear dome surrounded the group.

The trio looked around, shocked and impressed. "Markus, w-what is this?" Annabeth asked, awed.

"A sound barrier," Markus explained. It won't last for long, but it'll keep whatever sound we make here from outside the dome. So we can make as much noise as we want, and Polyphemus won't hear anything."

"... Magic is so broken," Percy muttered after a moment. Annabeth nodded in agreement while Tyson looked around in wonder and awe, clapping his hands excitedly.

Markus shrugged. Walking up to the boulder, he equipped Beowulf to his arms and legs, the weapon appearing in a flash. "Now let's get this show on the road," he said as Percy and Tyson retook their positions to make sure they were not caught in any kind of blast while Annabeth stood a little further back from Markus.

He ran back a couple of steps, wanting to build momentum. Channeling magic through the weapon, Beowulf shone brightly as he built up power. Using kinetic energy, Markus dashed towards the boulder at super speeds, rearing his fist back. With a roar, he punched the boulder, shattering it in the middle. He stepped back as he watched large sections of the boulder break and crumble, falling down onto the ground with a loud sound.

The group waited, but they didn't hear any foot steps, so Polyphemus hadn't heard anything.

Seeing his work finished Markus made Beowulf disappear. They began to walk in with Annabeth in the lead with the three others following after them.

When they got through they looked around Polyphemus's cave and saw Clarisse and Grover at the other side, having obviously moved their after seeing the boulder smashed to pieces. Clarisse had grabbed a large wooden stick since her weapons had been taken away. Grover just looked terrified and was sweating.

Though they had looks of relief when they saw Annabeth walk through the path that was clear of the boulder. Annabeth spotted them and immediate ran towards Grover and enveloped him in a big hug.

"Don't you worry us like this again, you stupid satyr," she said, though he knew she was being sincere and hugged her back.

Percy came over as did Tyson and Markus and walked through towards them and brought Grover into a hug as well. Though Grover was a little fearful seeing Tyson. Markus walked forward and gave Grover a big hug also.

"Good to see you in one piece G-man." Percy said as he patted his friend on the back.

"Yeah, it's good to see you guys again," Grover said, relieved. Then he turned to Markus, looking at his attire. "Uh, Markus? Why are you dressed like a pirate?"

"Why are you dressed like a bride?" Markus retorted, getting Grover to blush, remembering what he was wearing. "And I'm wearing this because I look badass."

"I'm just glad you guys made it in time. Now at least I can finally get out of this stupid dress," he said as he ripped the wedding dress off showing his clothes on underneath.

Markus turned to Clarisse. He gave her a nod. She nodded back. There was no need to give her a hug. Clarisse still had a 'tough girl' facade to maintain.

"So what now? We have Grover and Clarisse, now all that's left is to get the Fleece," Percy said.

As the group began to discuss what they were going to do about Polyphemus, they heard loud thud like footprints getting closer and closer towards them.

"Guess the sound barrier faded," Markus said. The others looked worriedly to the entrance.

Everyone began to hide all around the room and take cover. Annabeth, Tyson and Percy hid behind one of the giant cupboard through a small opening they found, Clarisse hid under a small crack under his bed while Markus and Grover managed to dive into the giant chest.

Polyphemus walked in, noticing the destroyed boulder. He looked around his cave, sniffing slightly. His face contorted into a growl. "Intruders!" he bellowed out. "I smell intruders! Come out! Fight and die!"

Everyone held their breath as Polyphemus came storming through the cave with a look of anger and frustration.

"Intruders! You interrupt marriage with lovely. You take dinner away," he muttered under his breath.

"I am not your lovely," Clarisse muttered under her breath. Thankfully, the Cyclops didn't hear her.

"How do we get out?" Percy whispered to Annabeth who was currently trying to come up with some kind of plan while Tyson was eyeing the bigger Cyclops wearily.

Polyphemus finished his mumbling and after noticing he was all alone began whipping his head all around the cave.

"My lovely, dinner goat where are you?" he called out though no one came out to greet him. His eyes narrowed and began to smell the air around him. Despite his vision not being all that great his sense of smell was slightly heightened than normal persons.

He took a long deep sniff of the area when his eyes snapped open and a big hungry grin appeared on his face.

"I know you are still in here. And I smell more little intruders. More for dinner and more for my belly," he said as his eye searched all around the room.

The demigods, satyr and Cyclops all had managed to hide well when they managed to see Polyphemus looking around in frustration but still with a hungry look on his face. His milky coloured eye was looking all over the cave and got dangerously close to where Clarisse were hiding before a quick thinking Annabeth spoke up.

"Hello, ugly!"

Polyphemus stiffened. "Who said that?" he asked darting his eye all over the cave trying to pick up where it was coming from.

"Nobody!" Annabeth yelled giving her the reaction she was hoping for as his face went red with rage and his fists began to shake. The others picked up on what she was doing. Well everyone but Percy and Tyson who were looking at Annabeth in confusion and a little fear.

"Nobody!" Polyphemus yelled back. "I remember you!"

Joining in, Markus yelled out, "You're too dumb to remember anybody! Much less Nobody!"

"Where are you? Why your voice sound different? You sounded like girl one second, boy the next."

"My voice has not changed. You're just too stupid to notice where Nobody is." Clarisse then piped up with a grin wanting to mess around with the Cyclops.

"AHH! WHERE ARE YOU?!" he yelled and begin to throw a bit of a fit at not finding where the voice was coming form. To him it was coming from all sides and he could not pin point where Nobody was.

His frustration building he grabbed one of his large chairs and threw it towards the location where Annabeth, Percy and Tyson were hiding. There was a loud crash as he threw it and it crashed into the wall making the others go silent and hope that the trio was okay.

They were relieved when they heard Annabeth suddenly say, "You haven't learned to throw any better, either!"

"SHOW YOURSELF!" the Cyclops yelled.

"Why? So you can miss again?" Markus yelled.

"Yeah. You can't throw anything at anyone. Not even Nobody!" Percy shouted.

Probably due to his rage, Polyphemus moved quickly for someone his size and was now at Annabeth's, Percy's and Tyson's location and had his hand where they were as if trying to reach them.

Percy and Annabeth managed to back away just enough so that Polyphemus could not grab them but they all had their weapons on the ready.

Markus wanted to give them some breathing room. " _Ionioi Hetairoi: Girisha Kaze_!" he chanted, making dozens of weapons made from the Mist launch from the chest and head towards Polyphemus.

The weapons hit his back, but barely did any damage. All it did was annoy him. At least he went away from Percy's and Annabeth's location. "AHHH! DIE, INTRUDER!" Polyphemus yelled, stomping towards Markus' and Grover's place.

"At least I got his attention," Markus muttered jokingly. Grover glared at him for that remark. "Too much?" he said sheepishly.

"Move!" Grover yelled. Polyphemus was still stomping towards their location and was quickly getting closer.

"Hold on!" Markus yelled, picking up Grover and zooming out of the chest and dodging Polyphemus' fist that crushed the chest that they were in, scattering the rubbish inside of it.

"Woah!" Grover yelled, disorientated from the speed that he'd travelled at. "When did you get so fast? How did you get so fast?" he asked to the place beside Markus. He was so disorientated that he got dizzy.

"Over here, Grover," Markus said, guiding the satyr to his direction. "And I'll tell you later." They were now hiding behind what looked to be a giant stone pillar. Good thing Polyphemus was slightly blind and dumb.

Manipulating the Mist, Markus created five Mist clones to distract the Cyclops. Seeing the clones, Polyphemus roared and smashed his fist down onto one clone, dispersing it. The rest surrounded him, moving around quickly and confusing him even further. Polyphemus, not knowing which one to hit, roared and tried smashing them all.

"Everyone, let's get out now while we have the chance," Markus called as everyone got out of their hiding spots and ran out of the cave.

As they reached the outside they quickly found Polyphemus was destroying the clones and was already beginning to head towards them.

Markus looked up at the cave ledge. " _Sagitta Spiram_!" he yelled out, the arcane arrow heading towards the top of the cave. As soon as the spell hit the top of the cave exploded and a portion of the ledge was destroyed, allowing a big rock to fall. This began to collapse over the entrance to the cave. It made a few of the group member's to cover their eyes but when they opened them they found the entrance completely blocked off.

Though if the angry shouts form Polyphemus were any indication, they knew it would not last long.

"Well that was a pain," Clarisse said before shouting, "HOW DO YOU LIKE US NOW YOU DUMB CYCLOPS. THAT WILL TEACH YOU TO TRY AND MARRY ME OFF!" The others looked at her incredulously.

"That won't hold him for long," Annabeth said looking at the collapsed rocks. "He'll be out of that in no time and we still need to get the Fleece."

"So what do we do? We still have those flesh eating sheep guarding it and I for one do not want to be reduced into nothing but bones," Percy said, with most quickly nodding in agreement.

"I'll stay and take on Polyphemus. You guys go and get the Fleece," Markus offered. He made to bring out Wavebreaker but Clarisse stopped him.

"No way, Marcie. I got a score to settle with that Cyclops," Clarisse said with a sadistic grin. Markus looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, you already took care of the Cetus. I want to care of the next big monster."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Markus asked raising is eyebrow waiting for a suggestion from the group. He wanted to know if she had a plan to defeat the giant Cyclops since Polyphemus was not like other monsters. He had strength, experience and skill despite being a dumb as a sack of rocks.

"We'll take care of Polyphemus," Annabeth offered as everyone look at her in surprise. "Clarisse is right. You took on the Cetus. It's our turn now."

"She has a point," Clarisse added. "With the four of us we can take care of that over grown Cyclops."

"Never thought I'd see you agree with Annie," Markus said. "And four? You may want to check again."

"Take Tyson with you and together the two of you can get the Fleece. You're the fastest, so you can get the Fleece no problem while Tyson can probably distract them. While you do that, we will keep Polyphemus busy. When you have the Fleece, send a signal and shoot it into the sky as a beacon. When we see it we will all retreat back to the shore and leave."

"That sounds like it could work. Are you okay with that Tyson?" Percy asked as Tyson hesitated a little before he nodded happily.

"You guys don't honestly expect this to work," Markus said doubtfully. "It's better if we take him together. And I'm not about to let Tyson distract carnivorous sheep." He made to say more, but was stopped by Tyson putting his hand on Markus' shoulder. "Brother," Tyson said, smiling slightly. "I can do it. Trust me."

"See, we can handle this. We're no sorcerers, but we can handle Polyphemus. Have a little faith, Marcie," Clarisse said to Markus. He gave her and the others a worried look before sighing, knowing they were not going to back out of this.

"Fine, but be careful," he warned.

Percy scoffed. "You of all people do not get to tell us that."

Markus glared at his brother, but couldn't say anything as the makeshift rock fall began to shudders and loud thuds could be heard.

"Looks like Polyphemus is trying to get out. You guys sure you can handle this?" Markus asked since he did not want to see them get badly injured or worse.

"We can handle it. This is what all that training was for remember,"Percy said, uncapping Riptide. Annabeth unsheathed her dagger and Clarisse prepared the spear. Grover though squirmed a little though he did try to put his brave face on.

"Alright then." He patted Tyson on the back. "You ready, bro?"

"I ready," he said making Markus grin before they gave the five a nod of good luck before he took off towards the fleeces location with Tyson following after him.

The four took deep breaths before they readied themselves once again as the rocks began to shudder even more and the sound of Polyphemus shouting could be heard getting louder.

After a few moments a large grubby hand shot out of the rock pile before a second one did the same beside it. Then with one large crashing sounds Polyphemus came raging through the wall and causing it took fall apart completely.

He looked around the area with his milky colored eye before he managed to see the outline of four people standing in front of him.

"YOU!" he said point towards them. "YOU MAKE FOOL OF ME! I MAKE YOU PAY AND EAT YOU FOR DINNER! AND THE WEDDING IS OFF TOO!"

"GOOD BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT TO MARRY YOU, YOU GRUBBY BASTARD OF A CYCLOPS. COME HERE SO I CAN MAIM YOU!" Clarisse shouted back making everyone have deadpanned looks at the shouting match between the two.

Markus and Tyson burst out of the woods and found themselves in the field where the fleece and the man-eating sheep were stationed. Most of the sheep were not paying attention and were just grazing around while a few did bob their heads up when they heard them come through the trees.

"Okay we're in the field. Now we just need to get past the mean eating sheep," Markus said, knowing it was easier said than done.

"How we get past?" Tyson mumbled as his lone eye was staring towards the sheep that now had turned their attention to him for some odd reason that made him flinch a little since their eyes looked like they were staring right through him.

Markus was anxious to finish their task so that he could join his friends. He didn't doubt their strength or skill, but Polyphemus was legendary for a reason.

He thought about using his super speed to pick up the Golden Fleece and escape. But that would leave Tyson alone with the sheep. And he wasn't about to abandon his brother.

However as he was thinking he heard some footsteps beside him and his eyes widened when he saw Tyson moving toward the sheep.

His eyes almost fell out of his sockets."Tyson what the hell are you doing? Don't get too close to them."

However he was a little taken back when he heard Tyson speak confidently back to him with a tiny grin on his face. "They won't hurt me. I know they won't hurt me."

"And how do you know that?" Markus asked.

Tyson grinned again. "Trust me."

Markus tried to convince him otherwise and walked forwards a little to stop Tyson from getting hurt but the young Cyclops put his hand out and stopped him in his tracks.

"I can do it. Trust Tyson. Let me do my part to save camp," he said again in a confident tone making Markus halt in place. He was impressed about his drive to save a place that ostracized him for being a monster. He didn't like it, though.

He had a bad feeling in his gut and he hoped his was wrong as he watched Tyson slowly move towards the sheep, taking small steps at a time as if trying to steel himself and tell himself that this is the right thing to do.

Markus looked over towards the sheep and saw that all their heads were now up and were looking towards Tyson. All brown coloured sheep eyes were focused on the young Cyclops.

"Fine. Since you seem so stubborn..." Markus muttered to himself. "Go on, Tyson. You can do it. Be calm," he silently cheered, not wanting the loud noise to alert the sheep. "Don't make any sudden movements."

Tyson nodded a little before he felt a surge of nerves go through him as the sheep finally began to move towards him and Markus could see that on their faces they had a look of recognition, as if they recognized Tyson.

A few of their gazes drifted towards Markus, as if contemplating whether they should eat Tyson or him. Markus put his hand on Wavebreaker to steady himself.

He watched as they got closer and closer to Tyson until they were only a few feet away from him.

 _Could they think that Tyson is Polyphemus?_ Markus thought to himself. It was possible, since they were Cyclopes. Maybe that was the reason why the sheep didn't feel like eating him. Or maybe Tyson was suddenly good at calming down flesh-eating animals.

Tyson stuck his hand out to pet one of the sheep that was close to him and Markus held his breath as it sniffed his hand. It opened its mouth as if ready to take a bite and licked it teeth's. But instead of taking a bite or trying to eat Tyson, it nuzzled his hand.

Slowly one by one of the other sheep began crowding around Tyson and nuzzled him a little getting a laugh from Tyson.

Markus looked wide-eyed at the impossible scene in front of him. He was thankful that they weren't trying to take a bite of him, he was confused as to why not. Probably better if he didn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Even though they liked Tyson, Markus wondered how long they would be friendly for since they wanted to know where their food was.

Wanting to put their plan into action, Markus called out, "Tyson." The young Cyclops turned around and looked at him.

"Try and lead them away. Make them think they are going to get food or something. That way it will be a clear to the Fleece."

Tyson thought about it for a moment before nodding to Markus. He slowly began to make his way out of the crowd of sheep that was around him and began to jog away from the field.

"Come on sheepies, follow me if you want to get some food," he said as Markus hoped they would follow him.

Markus gave him a thumbs up as he lead the sheep away. They completely forgot about Markus as they followed after Tyson. This made Markus breathe a little easier.

"Stay safe Tyson. Meet you back at the beach," he shouted and could just about make out Tyson giving him a thumbs up.

Turning around he saw the way had now been cleared and there was no sheep anywhere. The Fleece's defences were gone.

Markus grinned as he ran up to the tree and stopped just in front of the Golden Fleece. Just looking at the Fleece and being near it, he could feel the power of the object radiating from it and it was an amazing sensation.

He didn't feel bad about taking it as he knew it was necessary and they needed to save the camp above anything else.

Reaching out, Markus picked up the Fleece and held it close. It felt extremely soft. It was also a little heavier then he thought it would be but it would not be a problem.

Now that he had the Fleece he decided it was time to make the signal for the others. Holding one hand into the air, he cast a wordless _Sagitta Spiram_ high in the air so that anyone around the island could see it.

As soon as he was done, with the Fleece in hand he bolted back towards the beach using his super speed to where he hoped he would be seeing the others.

As he ran, he slowed down his speed as he saw the others running towards the 'Queen Anne's Revenge'. Guess they must've taken care of Polyphemus.

When they got close however, Polyphemus suddenly burst out of the forest and looked around. When he spotted them, he roared and charged after them.

Okay, guess they didn't take care of him.

"Run faster!" Percy said as the neared the boat that they arrived in.

"I thought you guys took care of him!" Markus shouted out.

"We did, but Prissy here was too much of a coward to finish him off when he had the chance," Clarisse remarked with her thumb jerked to Percy as they ran. Markus blinked as he processed the information. He was proud of Percy for being able to take down Polyphemus, but he was also annoyed that he didn't have the heart to kill him.

"We can explain all of that later! Just run!" Percy shouted.

As Polyphemus was beginning to close in on them, Markus threw the Fleece towards Clairsse who caught it before he disappeared using the Sonido. Too bad about the lack of sound, though. He reappeared in Polyphemus' front. "Oi, ugly. Down here!" Markus taunted with a grin.

Polyphemus roared as he punched the ground where Markus was at. Markus dodged by running a full circle around the Cyclops to build up momentum for what he was about to do. As Polyphemus' fist hit the ground, Markus went to this fist stuck in the ground and ran up it, building up enough speed.

Running up the arm of the Cyclops, he quickly equipped Beowulf and gave a football kick towards the head, knocking the giant Cyclops down.

The others got in and saw Polyphemus was down. They gaped at the sight, as Markus did what they struggled to do in one blow. They all realized just how big of a gap in strength was between them and Markus. Sure, they saw the strength during the fight with the Cetus, but still.

Looking at the downed Cyclops, Markus didn't waste any time. Unequipping Beowulf, he took out Wavebreaker in its place. Standing on the chest of Polyphemus, Markus held his sword high in the air.

"Wait, Markus! Don't!" Percy yelled to his brother, but he wasn't willing to listen. Polyphemus was trying to kill them, so it was only right to kill him in return.

"No!" Polyphemus yelled, but it was too late. Markus stabbed down with Wavebreaker, stabbing the blade down in the forehead of the Cyclops. All of them watched as Polyphemus disintegrated into gold dust.

"Why'd you do that? He was our brother, a son of Poseidon like us!" Percy yelled at his brother. Markus looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"He was trying to kill us, in case you forgot," Markus said evenly. "And I doubt that he would've had the same mercy towards us."

"But-" Percy said, shocked at the callousness Markus showed. Polyphemus was a son of Poseidon like them. That made him their brother. So why was Markus so willing to kill him? Annabeth, however, interrupted him, holding her hand in front of Percy to stop him.

"Where is Tyson?" Annabeth asked looking around before they heard what sounded like a small stampede making its way towards them.

They looked over to where the sound was coming from and saw Tyson stumble out of the forest and ran over to them.

"Tyson over here," Markus called as he hopped into the boat. Just as Tyson began getting into the boat the horde of sheep appeared out of the forest.

"Hell no," they all yelled not wanting to be eaten alive by the sheep and quickly pushed away from the beach and into the water.

As the got onto the pirate ship, the managed to set the sail and get the ship ready. Pretty soon, they were sailing from Polyphemus' Island, which looked to be quickly fading. Markus smiled at seeing that they had completed their quest, saved Grover, and retrieved the thing that was going to save the camp.

 **XXX**

The demigods were finally able to make out the edges of a shoreline signalling that land was finally ahead.

As they sailed out of the Sea of Monsters, they were worried about having to face Charybdis and Scylla again, but thankfully they managed to evade the sea monsters. Also, none of them even needed to touch the ship to steer it. It was like it had a mind of its own. Probably Poseidon looking out for them and guiding them out of the Sea of Monsters.

In the distance, the sun was setting behind a city skyline. Markus could see a beach side highway lined with palm trees, store fronts glowing with red and blue neon, a harbour filled with sailboats and cruise ships. They were probably coming up to Miami.

Percy and Markus were able to maintain the ship so that it almost reached the harbour. They couldn't take the boat with them to camp, and they didn't know what to do with it. Percy wanted to keep the ship, being a son of Poseidon and all. Markus, however, wanted to keep the ship because he wanted it to be apart of his pirate ensemble. Plus, he killed Blackbeard, so he should get his ship. The two brothers spent the better part of the journey back arguing about who should own the ship. The girls got annoyed by the whole thing while Tyson, sweet, innocent and clueless Tyson, just watched the spat with confusion.

In the end, both decided to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who got to keep the ship. Markus was able to win that, with Percy stating that he wanted a rematch. But Markus refused, saying that he had won the thing fair and square. Now he was officially a pirate!

Although he didn't know where to put the ship, he wanted to keep it. So he planned on praying to Poseidon to keep the ship in store for him so he could use it later. Sure, he could run on water, but it was the principle of the thing!

As they neared the harbour, they got off the ship and landed on an icy surface courtesy of Markus, so that they wouldn't have to swim the whole way. As they walked, Markus turned towards the ship and prayed to Poseidon to keep the ship in his palace or something, so he could use it for later.

Markus didn't know if Poseidon heard his prayer or not, but after a couple of seconds, a vortex of water appeared under the 'Queen Anne's Revenge'. The ship was slowly being sucked into the vortex and was still descending. The others looked shocked at the sight, but Markus assured them that everything was alright.

He thanked Poseidon mentally and joined the others in walking across the icy surface. Though, it wasn't easy on Markus to maintain the track for so long. It was a little draining not physically but mentally. Using demigod powers for so long did that to a person. Thankfully, Percy was able to help him walk when he stumbled a little, feeling slightly weak. In no time at all they were back in the mortal world.

Gathering their things together, they wandered along the cruise line docks, pushing through crowds of people arriving for their vacations or just about to go off on one. Porters bustled around with carts of luggage. Taxi drivers yelled at each other in Spanish and tried to cut in line for customers.

Thankfully no one noticed them thanks to the Mist, after all four kids (Grover didn't necessarily count, and none of them were sure about Tyson's age) dripping wet and looking like they'd just had a fight with a monster would usually draw in plenty of attention.

As they walked the Mist began to affect them as well now. Tyson's lone eyes distorted and Grover had put his sneakers and cap on.

Even the Fleece had transformed from a sheepskin to a red-and-gold high school letter jacket with a large glittery Omega on the pocket.

They checked the date to find that it was June 16th.

"We have been away from camp for eight days. We really need to get back there soon otherwise I dread to think what will be left of our camp," Annabeth said in a worried tone that was shown in on everyone's face.

"Thalia's tree must be almost dead," Grover wailed. "We have to get the Fleece back tonight."

"And with the tree almost being dead then it means the camp's magical borders will be left to almost nothing," Markus added.

They all watched as Clarisse slumped a little to the ground with a defeated look on her face. "How are we supposed to get back to camp?" Her voice trembled. "We're hundreds of miles away. No money. No ride. We can't exactly walk it."

Markus dug into his backpack (he really had a lot of things in there, didn't he? Guns, Siren remains, etc.) and brought out a stack of money, easily in the hundreds. He grinned at the slack-jawed reactions he'd received. "Will this do?" he asked cheekily.

"H-how-" Clarisse stuttered.

Markus waved his hand. "Doesn't matter. We have the money. We can go."

"The only option would be taking a plane. And you and Percy can't go in the air, Markus. If you do Zeus will more than likely blast him out of the sky," Annabeth said.

"Even if it's for wanting to heal his dead daughter's tree?" Markus asked skeptically. Annabeth shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she didn't know. Markus clicked his teeth. "Stingy bastard," he muttered. The sky boomed with thunder, but Markus ignored it. The others were already used to him insulting Zeus.

"Well what if just a few of us go?" Grover suggested. "Clarisse takes the Fleece ahead with Markus back to the camp via a plane while we make our own way there. Hopefully, Zeus won't shoot him out of the sky." He said the last part hopefully.

Markus shook his head and handed his money to Clarisse, who looked at him with a surprised expression on his face as did the others.

"Here take this money, get on a plane and take the Fleece to camp. I'd rather not risk getting zapped with lightning. Plus, this was your quest therefore you should be the one to return the Fleece to the camp. I only came to save Grover and help out."

Percy went to the curb and whistled for a taxi which quickly got the attention of a nearby cab and had it pull up just in front of them.

Clarisse took the Fleece and looked at it with wide eyes and as well as looking at Markus with a stunned look on her face. She looked to the others, who nodded in agreement to her.

"Okay," she said as the gears in her head began working. She gave a quick nod to Percy, Annabeth and Grover before giving Markus a look of gratitude. "Thank you," she said, jumping into the cab.

The three demigods, Cyclops and satyr watched as they disappeared down the road. The group gave small smiles to Markus.

"That was a nice thing that you did for Clarisse," Annabeth said, smiling. Markus shrugged.

"She wanted to prove herself. I merely gave her the opportunity to do so," Markus said casually. The others just continued giving him knowing smiles.

Markus was about to say something, but his face turned shocked, and then narrowed. The others were going to ask what was wrong when he turned around, Wavebreaker already in his hand. His subconsciously activated his water sensing to see that Clarisse had exited his range, so that he could know if she was on her way. However, he managed to pick up another signature, one he didn't know or recognise. And it was right behind them.

The mortals were still ahead of them, minding their own business. So it wasn't them. It wasn't a monster, since he wasn't sure they had water in their body, like blood, saliva, etc. So it was a mortal. More than likely a demigod.

Instinctively, Markus brought out Wavebreaker to the neck of someone holding a a bronze and grey sword in his right hand that was now aimed at Percy. Four heads whipped around and were surprised and angry to see Luke standing there with a evil smile on his face.

Markus snarled, his sea green eyes turning into glowing neon green. "Castellan."

"'Sup, Markus? Welcome back to the states," Luke grinned smugly.

 **Boom! Finished.**

 **I would honestly write more, but my fingers are cramped from too much typing.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Almost finished the Sea of Monsters arc. Don't really have much to say here. Which is a first.**

 **Thanks to all those who favourited, followed, read and reviewed the story, said the one who feels like a broken record.**

 **Thanks, Read and Review!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29:**

As Markus held Luke at sword-point and Luke was doing the same thing to Percy, two big bear-man like thugs appeared on either side of the group. One grabbed Annabeth and Grover by their collars but before they could move, they were skewered by several weapons that appeared out of thin air, courtesy of Markus. They ended up fading into gold dust.

Another one tried to grab Tyson, but Tyson knocked him into a pile of luggage and roared at Luke.

"Now, now, there is no need for fighting," Luke said calmly, though he glared at the spot where the two bear men were, as if thinking why they were so useless. "I suggest you calm your big friend down otherwise he will be making a trip to the Underworld."

Tyson growled at Luke but Percy and Annabeth calmed him down before they glared at Luke. They would have made a move against him but multiple monsters appeared behind Luke and around them trying to box them in.

Markus' eyes meanwhile scanned around making sure there were none hiding in secret and waiting to jump them in surprise.

"What do you want Luke?" Percy asked, wanting to pull Riptide out and take a swing at Luke.

"Why, Percy." Luke said. "I want to extend my hospitality, of course." He gestured behind him to show a large ship with the words 'Princess Andromeda' written on the side of it.

"Now, Markus. Put your sword away. You can't take on all these monsters and myself at the same time," Luke warned. Markus glared at him, contemplating on whether he should attack or not. He possible couldn't take all of them at the same time, but he did have an advantage. They were near water. It didn't matter what Luke planned. If he could surprise him, it was all he needed. Plus, he didn't want the others to be hurt.

Slowly, he put away Wavebreaker as Luke nodded. "Good boy." Markus glared at Luke for that remark. He really wanted to cut his head off right now. It was just so tempting.

He led them up onto the boat before stopping on the bow of the ship. Markus knew he could possibly get them out of this but this could be a chance to gather some kind of information and an opportunity like this was not going to come often. Plus, he was surrounded by water.

"What's wrong, Markus? I thought that you were so eager to kill me? Or are you not going to cast a spell at me?" Luke taunted, trying to get a rise out of him.

Markus glared at him, but didn't do anything.

Luke looked like he wanted to say more but a he gained a look on his face as if someone was talking to him. He nodded his head before shaking it and staring back at the four.

"Let's cut to the chase, where is the Fleece?" Luke demanded. He looked over all of them, wanting to prod Percy's shirt with the tip of his sword and poking Grover's jeans.

"Hey!" Grover yelled. "That's real goat fur under there!"

"Sorry, old friend. I will try to be more careful next time."

"You are no friend of mine," Grover said, crossing his arms trying to look tough, though it just made Luke look amused.

When he went to do the same to Annabeth Markus gave a loud growl, his eyes glowing in anger. Despite feeling overconfident, Luke didn't want to take his chances.

Looking a little frustrated, Luke glared at them. "Just give me the Fleece and I'll leave you to return to your, ah, little nature quest."

He examined them and looked like he was about to explode when he could not find the Fleece anywhere in sight. Markus smiled at the sight. It was nice to see that things weren't going Luke's way.

"We sent it ahead. It is already on its way back to camp," Percy said feeling a little happy at the angry and frustrated look that was on Luke's face.

Luke's eyes narrowed at the group of four. "You're lying. You couldn't have..." he started before his face reddened as a horrible possibility occurred to him and began looking behind them before looking them in the eyes. "Clarisse?"

"That's right," Markus replied in a sing-song voice, glad to see him so frustrated. "What's wrong? Didn't come prepared?"

"You gave it to that ridiculous daughter of Ares. Something as valuable as the Fleece and you gave it to that fool."

"Better in her hands than yours, bastard," Markus replied gleefully. "Oh, is red your new colour today? Such a nice look for you." He said this in response to Luke's growing red face.

Looking like he was about to snap at any moment Luke called for Agrius, one of the bear men beside him. "Get below and prepare my steed. Bring it to the deck. I need to fly to the Miami Airport, fast. Do it now!" Luke screamed. "Or I'll feed you to the drakon!"

Markus was about to taunt Luke again but then looked at Percy who suddenly began to speak and yell at Luke.

"You've been toying with us all along," Percy said trying to further rile up Luke more then he already was. "You wanted us to bring you the Fleece and save you the trouble of getting it."

Luke scowled from his spot. "Of course, you idiot! And you've messed everything up!"

The others then watched as Percy threw something that was awful shiny towards Luke which the son of Hermes easily dodged and then made a plopping sound as it landed in the pound behind him.

 _What is he doing_? Markus thought. Thinking on it a little, Markus grinned. _Okay, I take everything I said about him being an idiot back._

A little above the water mist began to form and a screen like apparition began to form.

When he saw that it was an Iris message and saw the hall with everyone having dinner as well as Mr D, he realized what Percy was doing and mentally applauded him.

"You tricked all of us!" Percy yelled at Luke. "Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!"

Seeing the Iris message from behind Luke, Annabeth and the others also realized what Percy was doing and saw Mr. D in the Iris message turn around and give them an odd glance.

Percy managed to keep Luke's attention by uncapping Riptide, which only made Luke sneer at him.

"This is no time for heroics, Percy. Drop your puny little sword, or I'll have you killed sooner rather than later."

"Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke? Was it you or did you get one of your little minions to do it because you were too frightened to do it yourself? After all you have proved yourself a traitor and a coward.

Luke snarled at Percy as if daring him to say another word at him while the monster behind him took a step forward. "You know I did you plundering fool I already told you that on the ship. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus. It was too easy to do so since most of those worthless demigods at camp were not even there."

"Chiron had nothing to do with it?" Percy added trying to show everyone at camp that Chiron was completely innocent of the crime the gods belied he committed.

"Ha! You know he would never do that. The old fool wouldn't have the guts." Luke raised his sword. "You don't understand the half of it and are as clueless as ever. I was going to let you take the Fleece... once I was done with it."

"So you were going to use it to heal Kronos?" Markus inputted his own piece. "Did you not read the myths, Luke? You want to bring back an evil Titan so mankind can be enslaved?"

"Like the Olympians are any better!" Luke retorted. "They are just as bad. At least I'm on the winning side!"

"What winning side?! Where everyone dies and we all lose if Kronos rises?!" Markus yelled out.

"I don't have to explain myself to you. The Fleece's magic would've sped his mending process by tenfold. But you haven't stopped us, Percy. You've only slowed us down a little," Luke added ignoring the looks they were giving him.

"And so you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia, you set us up - all to help Kronos destroy the gods."

They watched as Luke gritted his teeth and shook his fists. "You already know that! Why do you keep asking me?"

Luke then watched as a grin appeared on Percy's face and pointed behind him. "We just wanted to make sure that we had an audience next time when you tell us everything you have done and are going to do."

"Well this is an unplanned entertainment for dinner," Mr. D said making Luke and his goons turn around and have their eyes widen when they saw Mr. D and the camp all in the dining pavilion staring back at them.

"Mr. D, you heard him." Percy said. "You all heard Luke. The poisoning of the tree wasn't Chiron's fault."

"I suppose so." Mr. D sighed. "I will get on bringing him back as we speak. My thanks for enlightening us all Perry," Mr. D said before he swiped the Iris message and made it disappear.

When he did Luke roared as he slashed the fountain, destroying it and any remnants of the Iris message before turning to them.

Markus just laughed while pointing at him. "H-how ironic. The son of Hermes being swindled," he commented while laughing at the same time.

"Kronos was right, Percy. You're an unreliable weapon. You need to be replaced," Luke said before one of the soldiers on the side blew a bronze whistle. When he did many doors and hatchets opened up and warriors and monsters came pouring out and onto the deck.

Percy made to go after Luke but Markus shouted, "No! Leave him to me! He's mine!"

Luke laughed mockingly. "Like you have any chance against me, Markus. I'm not so easily baited that I would challenge you myself."

"Then I'll offer the invitation, then," Markus retorted as he dashed forward at super speed, taking out Wavebreaker and meeting Luke's quick strike.

Markus ignored the scenes around him as he could briefly see the others fighting the monsters. So he turned his attention to Luke as the two fought with their blades. Each clang echoed across the ship as they moved as they fought, each swiping, slicing at and dodging each other.

As they clashed, Markus could feel Luke gain the slight upper hand. He knew that Luke was a better swordsman than him because of skill and experience. But he had something that he didn't have: the superior speed. While he noticed that his movements were faster than an average demigod (probably due to being a son of Hermes and being faster than average) Markus channeled kinetic energy into his strikes, speeding them up and making them even faster.

Instead of holding Wavebreaker in one hand, he was now holding it in two. He was using his traditional kendo techniques against Luke. Normally, using those stances with a Greek sword wouldn't work, because of the size difference in a kendo stick and a Greek sword. However, because he was speeding his attacks up, they were able to hit Luke at his sword, at his sides, etc. The increase in speed, plus the use of a stance that wasn't the traditional Greek stance, caught Luke off guard and allowed Markus to cut him at his left forearm. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was something.

Luke scowled at seeing the wound. "A lucky shot. You won't get the same result next time."

"Sure," Markus grinned. "Maybe that might happen, if I was willing to play fair." Reaching out with his connection to the sea around them, Markus commanded the boat to rock sharply, the waves buffeting the boat. With the sharp tug in his gut, the boat rocked sharply back and forth, unbalancing everyone, mosnters, satyr and demigods included. Markus, however, remained unaffected. Salt water sprayed the deck from beneath them, washing away the monsters and soaking the demigods with Percy being the exception.

With the spray of water, and the advantage given to him, Markus zoomed towards Luke, disarming him using the technique that he had taught him and Percy long ago, and stabbed Luke in the stomach. All in roughly four seconds.

Luke gasped sharply as he was pierced by Wavebreaker, his blood coating the blade that exited out of his back. Markus grinned sadistically. "You may be a better swordsman, but you forgot one thing: never fight a son of Poseidon near the ocean." He twisted the blade, getting Luke to gasp, this time much louder, in pain. "Now, I'm going to enjoy this."

Cocking his fist back, Markus channeled earthquake energy into his fist and smashed it against Luke's cheek, hearing a crack. Luke yelled in pain as he was launched back from the force, dislodging himself from Wavebreaker. He hit the railing of the ship, groaning in pain. His cheek was swollen.

As he was trying to get his bearings, Markus appeared with a soundless Sonido (would that technically be called a Flash Step, since there was no sound?) in front of him. Reaching forward, he grabbed his neck and threw him to the ground. He stomped down on Luke's throat, getting him to choke. Wanting to do more damage, he stabbed Wavebreaker down onto one of his hands, getting him to scream in pain.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Markus taunted. He grinned with a sadistic grin. "I'm going to make you suffer, you son of a bitch. Or better yet, might as well put you out of your misery." He raised his sword high, ready to chop Luke's head off.

As he was about to swing it down, Luke yelled out, "Wait!"

Against his better judgement, Markus halted the blade, just inches near the son of Hermes' neck. "What the fuck do you want? I'm not sparing you, if that's what you're going to say," Markus said, annoyed. Why the hell didn't he just behead him?

Luke chuckled, making Markus inch Wavebreaker nearer to his neck. "You really are different from the others, aren't you Markus?" he chuckled. "So willing to end my life. At least one of you is strong-hearted. Kronos mentioned that you were different from the others. That you could join our side, given the right circumstances."

"Fuck it," Markus muttered. He didn't want to hear him talk. He was about to continue what he intended to do when Luke spoke suddenly. "Did you ever wonder why you and Percy were targeted by Kronos, by the other gods, since day one?"

"I don't care what you have to say," Markus said, annoyed. "I'm just going to cut your head off with a smile on my face. Right now."

" _A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds,_ " Luke recited like a poem. " _And see the world in endless sleep, a hero's soul, a cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze_."

Markus looked at him with an incredulous expression, though he did feel a cold shiver run down his spine at the recital. "Okay? So you can recite poetry. Good for you."

"It's a prophecy," Luke said with a smug smile. "Specifically, the prophecy that'll decide the fate of Olympus and the world. And you and your brother are at the center of it. One of you shall reach sixteen, and either save or destroy Olympus with a choice. Oh, and you'll die while doing so. Kronos told me the prophecy in secret. He said that he hoped you would join us if you saw the only option available for you with the Olympians is death." Seeing Markus' conflicted look, Luke's smile widened. "Oh? Did no one tell you about it? I was so sure Chiron or your father would've told you the prophecy that would decide the fate of the world. How sad. Secrets is an ugly thing. One thing that I learned from being on Kronos' side is that you can't rely of friends. They will always let you down in the end."

"You know, that silver tongue that you inherited from Hermes won't save you, right?" Markus threatened, though his threat was only half-hearted. Internally, he was thinking to himself. Was that the prophecy that Chiron wouldn't tell him about? The one that concerned a child of the Big Three? Was that why the Big Three swore not to have any children? Because of the prophecy?

Luke smiled that damned annoying smile of his. "I'd beg to differ. It's the one thing from him that I don't mind inheriting." While he said that, Luke kicked out from under him and kicked Markus at his leg, making him stumble off of him.

Cursing himself for his carelessness, Markus quickly got back to his feet and quickly casted a wordless ' _Ionioi Hetairoi'_. Dozens of Mist weapons appeared and sailed towards Luke. He smiled, disappearing in darkness. The same way Percy said he disappeared last summer. The weapons pierced the spot where he was previously.

Markus roared in rage and frustration as he missed his target. Suddenly, he heard the sound of clopping approaching them.

A wild chorus of war cries and hooves thundering against metal. A dozen centaurs charged out of the main stairwell with none others then Chiron leading the way.

As Markus observed the centaurs, he was surprised. Both at their arrival and the fact that they had appeared. Now he could understood what Chiron meant by his kind being a wild bunch, though not in the manner that he had thought.

There were centaurs with black Arabian stallion bodies, others with gold palomino coats, others with orange-and-white spots like paint horses. Some wore brightly coloured T-shirts with Day-Glo letters that said PARTY PONIES: SOUTH FLORIDA CHAPTER. Some were armed with bows, some with baseball bats, and some with paintball guns. One had his face painted like a Comanche warrior and was waving a large orange Styrofoam hand making a big Number I. Another was bare-chested and painted entirely green.

As the remaining monsters and demigods all got scattered and the centaurs were keeping them away, Chiron galloped towards Percy and picked him up. Another did the same for Annabeth and Grover while two had to pick up Tyson. Chiron veered towards Markus' direction, his strong arms picking the boy up with no problem at all and carrying the two boys on his horse back.

"Withdraw, brethren!" Chiron said.

The centaurs rallied together before they galloped back off the about and away from the area. Markus was glad to see Chiron again, though with the new information that he had received, he was feeling unsure about what he knew. He knew that there was a possibility that Luke could be tricking him, but he didn't know if it was true or not.

They ran for about an hour before they eventually stooped in a trailer park at the edge of a lake.

When they stopped Annabeth immediately jumped off the centaur who was carrying her and hugged Chiron.

"That was amazing. Head slam!" One of the centaurs called out to another as they slammed each other's heads against one another before they began cheering.

Markus, despite the situation, grinned. These guys seemed awesome. Grover and Tyson stood at the side, both safe and sound, which was good.

"Chiron you came for us," Annabeth said, eyes shining a little, happy to see everyone's favourite centaur.

He gave her and the others a dry smile. "Well now, I couldn't very well let you die, especially since you've cleared my name."

"But how did you know where we were?" Annabeth asked.

"Advanced planning, my dear. I figured you would wash up near Miami if you made it out of the Sea of Monsters alive. Almost everything strange washes up near Miami."

"Wow, thanks." Grover mumbled while Markus laughed. Chiron still didn't remember to watch his wording when he spoke to everyone.

"No, no," Chiron said. "I didn't mean ... Oh, never mind. I am glad to see you, my young satyr. The point is, I was able to eavesdrop on Percy's Iris-message and trace the signal. Iris and I have been friends for centuries. I asked her to alert me to any important communications in this area. It then took no effort to convince my cousins to ride to your aid. As you see, centaurs can travel quite fast when we wish to. Distance for us is not the same as distance for humans."

"... I want to test that," Markus mumbled with a thoughtful look on his face. Annabeth hit him slightly on his arm. "What?" he asked.

Chiron chuckled. "Maybe some other day, Markus. Though I do admit that the thought would be entertaining."

The group then explained to Chiron their plan and that they had sent Clarisse ahead to the camp knowing the quicker she got there the sooner the camp would be back to normal.

"So what now?" Percy asked Chiron. "We just let Luke sail away? He's got Kronos aboard that ship. Or parts of him, anyway."

"Ran away like the fucking coward that he is," Markus mumbled, though nobody heard him.

"No Percy. There are too many on that ship right now. As we are we would not make it out. Even at our best, we would lose many in the attempt." Chiron said.

"But we got the Fleece!" Annabeth argued but stopped as Chiron shook his head to her.

"You are all true heroes. And as soon as we all get fixed up, you must return to Half-Blood Hill. The centaurs shall carry you."

"You're coming, too?" Percy asked.

"Oh yes, Percy. I will be relieved to get home. My brethren here simply do not appreciate Dean Martin's music."

Everyone, except for Tyson, from the group grimaced. They didn't want their ears abused by Chiron's music.

"Besides, I must have some words with Mr. D. There's the rest of the summer to plan. So much training to do. And I want to see... I'm curious about the Fleece."

Everyone there looked at him in slight confusion wondering what he meant but they had a feeling that he would not tell them. Or at least he would not tell anyone but Annabeth since the two were usually in cahoots with each other.

As Grover, Annabeth and Tyson went over to watch some of other centaurs have a paintball battle with each other, Chiron took Percy and Markus to one side and spoke with them in private.

Chiron turned to address Percy first. "Percy, I had a talk with Annabeth on the way here. A talk about the prophecy."

"So am I and Markus the ones in the prophecy?" Percy asked, not sounding very happy about that fact.

Chiron tucked his bandages back into his pouch. "I wish I knew, Percy. Neither of you are sixteen yet. For now we must simply train you as best we can, and leave the future to the Fates."

"Except you know of the prophecy, don't you, Chiron?" Markus accused. He wasn't going to wait. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"My boy, I don't-" Chiron tried to say, but Markus wasn't having it. He was done with people trying to hide the facts from him. It was their prophecy, so why couldn't they hear it.

" _A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds,_ " Markus recited. Chiron's eyes were wide and shocked as he spoke the prophecy. _"And see the world in endless sleep, a hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze._ "

Percy was wide-eyed as he heard the prophecy recited. And he didn't seem to like it.

"W-where d-did you-" Chiron stuttered out, but Markus interrupted him.

"Luke told me," Markus said, an angry expression on his face. "He said that Kronos told him the prophecy in hopes that it could convince me that fighting for the Olympians was worthless if I was going to end up dead. I thought he was lying, but your reaction just told me the truth." He glared at the centaur with fury. "We were going to die when we reached sixteen? Was that what the whole prophecy concerning us was about? We were going to die by the choice that we make when we reach sixteen?"

"Markus, I can assure you that there is no need to worry. Prophecies often have double meanings," Chiron placated.

"'A single choice shall end his days'? 'Cursed blade shall reap'? Chiron, I'm pretty sure there are no other way to possibly mean something else other than our death," Percy stated, shocked and angry. "And Markus is the oldest among us. So what? When he reached sixteen, he's going to die? I'm not going to allow that!"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Markus asked simply. "That's the one thing I truly feel angry about. Dying when I reach sixteen is one thing to be angry about, but the fact that you didn't tell us when we first were revealed as Poseidon's sons. Were you going to tell us the day before either one of us turn sixteen?"

Chiron looked like he was about to say something, but sighed in the end. He suddenly seemed to show his true age. He looked more older and tired than ever. "I wanted you boys to be ready. It is not easy revealing this information to you. Your reactions are how I suspected them to be."

"What did you think, Chiron?" Percy asked incredulously. "That we were going to be happy? And it didn't matter if we were ready or not. This is our future we're talking about! So one of us - Markus, more likely - might die and you're concerned about how we would handle it? Is that why the Big Three swore an oath on the Styx? Because they were worried about how a child of one of them would bring the downfall of Olympus?"

"I do not pretend to know how the minds of the Big Three, my boys," Chiron said wearily. "But you have to understand-"

"Understand what?! Chiron, it doesn't matter what kind of training we receive. We still would've died the same. What's the point of getting stronger if we're still going to die as it says in the prophecy. It's practically set in stone." Markus was truly angry. He thought that Luke was simply messing with him when he told him, but now that he realised that all that was said was true, his whole world practically shattered. He was destined to die and he wasn't even told about this. There was a small part of him that wished that it was Percy that could take his place as the oldest so he could be the one the prophecy talked about, but he squashed that part ruthlessly. As selfish as he was, he wasn't going to let his brother be fated to die. Not now, not ever.

"That's the reason why the gods were so weary of us," Markus muttered. "Because we were fated to decide the fate of Olympus." With wide eyes, Markus came to a startling revelation. One that he didn't like. "They were just using us. The gods, even Poseidon, were weary of both of us. They're using us. What, are we just errand boys for them? Some-some kind of weapons?" he said the last word with disgust in his tone.

"No!" Chiron said vehemently. "Markus, you know that's not true."

"Then what is?" Percy asked angrily. He felt the same way Markus felt. "You're telling me that the gods aren't using us, treating us like weapons that they could easily discard? Gain our favour, save them and one of us dies while doing so?!"

Chiron put his hands on both boys' shoulders. "That is not true. While I can't say the same thing for most of the gods, your father cares for you deeply. He would never do such a thing to you. Both of you."

"Yeah?" Markus said angrily, his emotions choking him. He wasn't just angry. Not even furious. He was _livid_. "Well if he cared for us so much, then why did he have either of us?! He knew what would've happened to us, and yet he had us! What the fuck was the point of birthing us if we were going to die before we even reached adulthood?!" His emotions were so high, he unknowingly dug deep into his divine core and activated his powers through emotion. Lightning flashed in the sky, though it wasn't the work of Zeus. Water vapour in the air picked up as the wind picked up slowly at first, and then sharply.

"Calm down, Markus," Chiron instructed, though Markus wasn't willing to listen. Not wanting the others to hear their conversation, Markus cast the sound barrier spell. "Επικαλούμαι: Ήχος Εμπόδιο. (Invoke: Sound Barrier)." Immediately, the sound barrier was erected around the area that they stood in, the energy dome being constructed.

He then turned to Chiron, eyes glowing completely emerald green. "Are we so expendable that Poseidon birthed us for his own need? The need to save Olympus and then be done with it?" he asked this all silently, which was more scary than when he was yelling. Immediately, the wind and water vapour picked up around the area they stood in, circling him as he stood in the centre. It looked like a hurricane was going to pick up.

Chiron looked at him with sad, remorseful eyes. He knew that words wouldn't work with Markus or Percy. He cast a look to the other son of Poseidon, seeing him look at him with an angry expression. "Did anyone else know?" Percy asked lowly. His voice was carried out over the roaring wind and mist.

Chiron looked like he didn't want to say anything. "Did. Anyone. Else. Know?" Percy asked again, this time slowly. His eyes were almost similar to Markus'.

He sighed. His shoulders drooped slightly. "Yes. Annabeth heard the prophecy when she was younger but-" Chiron couldn't finish as Markus just walked away, the forming hurricane dispersing. "Markus, where are you going?" Chiron asked worriedly.

"I'm going to wait for when we leave for camp," he said frostily. His expression was so frigid and cold that the air literally reflected his emotions. An icy aura rose from him, freezing the water vapour in the air around him. "When we get to camp, I'll confront Annabeth." With that, he walked away.

Chiron looked defeated as he watched Percy following after his brother, but not before throwing the centaur an angry look.

 **XXX**

Markus didn't say anything as he ran at super speeds slightly behind the galloping centaurs.

He didn't say anything to anyone as they left for camp. The others were curious as to why he was acting that way, but he didn't say anything. When they looked to Percy, he didn't say anything as well. Though both boys glared at Annabeth before they left. She was puzzled as to why they were so angry.

Markus, instead of offering to ride on top of one of the centaurs, decided to run to get the lingering frustration out of him. As he ran, he wore his sports goggles and aviator jacket to protect himself from the high speeds. While they ran, Markus noticed that despite his speed, the centaurs were still a few steps ahead of him. Probably because they were more used to running at such speeds. Or maybe Markus wasn't used to his kinetic energy powers that he received from the Hindu motion god.

As he ran, his mind was in turmoil. All that effort, all that ambition and training, and for what? An early end in roughly two years time? Was that all he was good for?

He was conflicted. He didn't want to think too much on it. He wanted to forget about it for now. That was why he was running, to get his mind off the topic.

Markus recognised the area and knew they were close to getting back home. He could see the hill in sight and finally let out a long deep breath knowing they were home. Despite everything that they had went through, he was happy to get to camp after a long quest.

The centaurs galloped towards the hill as a bunch of demigods could be seen patrolling the area. They saw the centaurs and at first looked like they were about to attack them but they stopped when they saw Chiron, Markus, Annabeth, Percy, Grover and Tyson.

Instead they cheered and followed after them as the centaurs galloped and Markus ran past.

As they arrived into camp they noticed how badly damaged most of the buildings were and a lot of the cabins looked like they were barely standing. No doubt a lot of clones were going to be needed to help put the place back together.

They spotted Clarisse with the Fleece in hand standing beside Mr. D who had a impassive look on his face as usual. There was no sign of Tantalus anywhere.

Chiron galloped towards the group as the demigods got off the backs of the centaurs and were immediately swarmed by the others campers all who had looks of relief and happiness on their face.

Silena and Katie pushed through the crowds both looking a little worse for wear and grabbed Markus in a double hug telling him how glad they were that he was safe and back with them. Despite how he was feeling, he was extremely glad to see his friends again. He hugged them back, smiling widely as he did so.

"Now that the Fleece has been recovered, I believe that there's only one thing to do," Chiron said as everyone cheered again in agreement and headed over towards the hill and towards the great tree lying at the top.

The tree looked ready to fall down at any moment and any leafs that it had before was now completely gone. Even the bark of the tree was beginning to rot.

Everyone gathered around it with Markus standing beside Clarisse and motioned for her to do the honours.

Clarisse nodded and walked forwards and stood directly in front of the tree. With the Fleece in hand she draped it across the front of the trees and hung it on one of the lower branches.

The results were instantaneous. The fleece immediately began to radiate power to a high degree and everyone watched as the bark on the tree suddenly began to return to its healthy coloUr. On all the branches small buds began to form and then broke out into healthy green leafs.

They all turned around and they watched as colour and life finally began to be returned to the camp. The satyrs and nymphs were all jumping for joy as was the children of Demeter. Even the surrounding demigods were able to feel the warm sensation as nature began to fight back against the poison and gets its life back.

Markus stepped forward to Clarisse as everyone cheered. He simply nodded towards her with a smile on his face. Clarisse naturally responded back by punching him on the shoulder. That was her way of saying 'thanks'. Markus could take it like it was.

 **XXX**

As the demigods were heading towards the mess hall to celebrate, Markus grabbed Annabeth by her arm. "We need to talk," he said simply, confusing her. Percy walked up behind him, nodding in agreement.

"What? What's wrong?" Annabeth asked curiously, but Markus was feeling impatient. "Now," he said coldly, shocking and scaring her slightly.

"Fine. Wouldn't kill you to be patient," Annabeth muttered as Markus grabbed both Annabeth and Percy by their arms and moved at super speeds towards the amphitheatre, where it was practically empty.

When they reached their destination, Annabeth almost fell over in shock and surprise. "Gods, stop doing that!" she yelled, trying to get her bearings together. Markus didn't respond as he and Percy, who recovered from the high speeds, looked at Annabeth intently. "So what was so important that you had to drag me here?" Annabeth asked, irritated.

" _A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds,_ " Markus started with the first two lines of the prophecy. Just speaking those words caused Annabeth to pale slightly.

"H-how do you-" she started, but Markus interrupted her. "Save it," he growled at her.

"Why, Annabeth?" Percy asked. "Why didn't you tell us? You knew that the prophecy was about both of us. So why didn't you tell us?!"

Annabeth looked up as fear and regret spread across her face. "Chiron didn't think both of you were ready. He didn't want to worry you."

"We already had this talk with Chiron, so I'm just going to tell you what we told him," Markus said, glaring at her. "It didn't matter if we weren't ready. This was our future we're talking about. It didn't matter if we were ready or not, it was going to happen. We deserved to know."

"Guys, it's not that simple!"

"Okay fine, explain it to us," Percy said sarcastically. "And please use big words. We're no children of Athena but we do have some intelligence."

Annabeth looked down in shame. "Prophecies... prophecies can be impossible to predict. I didn't want you… either of you, to be afraid."

"Afraid? Annabeth, our lives our in danger! Either one of us, me specifically, are going to die when we turn sixteen! And your concern was that we would be fucking scared?! Of course we would be! But at least we would know what was going to happen. What we were only good for! You should've told us, Annabeth!" Markus screamed. His emotions were really high right now. It was one thing for Chiron to keep this from him, and he could somewhat understand where he was coming from. But Annabeth? One of their closest friends? Markus felt betrayed.

"I'm sorry!" Annabeth shouted with tears freely flowing from her eyes. "Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm sorry! I know I should have told both od you you, but I didn't because… because I didn't want it to be either of you."

Percy's gaze softened at her tears. But Markus wasn't relenting.

"When did you plan on telling us?" Markus said calmly. "That's what I want to know. When, Annabeth?"

Annabeth didn't respond for a moment. Then, she spoke. "I... I didn't know. Markus, Percy, I knew that the prophecy was talking about either one of you. And Markus was the more likely candidate. But can you blame me for not telling you? Both of you are my friends. I didn't want you to run away, or break under pressure, or something! The prophecy would've made you paranoid, made you lose sleep over it. I... I just thought that what I was doing was for the best."

"Annabeth," Percy said softly, putting a hand on Markus' shoulder to calm him down. "I get where you're coming from. I really do. But you should've told us. We could've been better prepared. We could possibly know what we're going up against, or what's going to happen to us. We can't run from this. We have to face this." He cast an uneasy look to Markus, who's face looked stony.

Finally Markus spoke. "I understand where you're coming from. And I'm not angry at you for trying to protect us. But I still think you should've told us. I'd rather know what's going to happen in the future than go in blind." And with that, Markus walked away.

Percy looked like he was about to go after him, but looked at Annabeth, who's head was lowered and tears streaming down her face. He patted her shoulder. "Markus doesn't hate you or anything. He's just mad. He'll come around." And with that, Percy followed after Markus.

 **XXX**

A bead of sweat ran down Markus' forehead as he slashed and hacked at the arena's training dummies, effectively slicing them to pieces.

Ever since his confrontation with Annabeth, Markus had been training relentlessly for three days. He'd been practising his sword skills, magic, speed, everything. It was a way to get rid of his anger at the situation, though he didn't know who he was angry at particularly. Chiron, Annabeth, Poseidon, the gods, he didn't know.

He felt like a pawn, a piece that is only good for sacrifice and being discarded afterwards. That was essentially what he was in the long run.

"No," he snarled in anger. "I refuse. I will not die. I won't. I need more power."

That was also another reason that he was training. He wanted, no, _needed,_ to get stronger. So strong that he could defy his so-called fate. Since he started training, his mind kept flashing back to the lines of the prophecy, trying to decipher them.

 _A half-blood of the eldest gods..._ That was easy enough. A child of the Big Three. Although, when it said 'elder gods', it didn't necessarily mean the Big Three. It could be a child of the elder Olympians, like Demeter. She was older than Zeus, and one of the original and oldest Olympians, older than Zeus. Therefore, her children could qualify. Though, Markus had a feeling that it was mainly about children of the Big Three.

 _Shall reach sixteen against all odds..._ Self-explanatory.

 _And see the world in endless sleep..._ That could mean a number of things. Was endless sleep death? Would the whole world die before he could save it? Then what was the point of saving it, then? Or did it mean literally 'endless sleep'? As in, everyone would enter a deep sleep and never wake up? It was so confusing.

 _A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap..._ His soul was going to be reaped by a cursed blade. Markus didn't know much cursed blades. He remembered Chiron's description of Riptide, and how it had brought many people sorrow. Could that be the cursed blade that was in the prophecy? But that would mean that Percy would be the one to kill him, which made no sense. And he didn't want to get his soul reaped.

 _A single choice shall end his days..._ Another line telling him that he would die. Though he wasn't sure why there were two lines stating that he would die. As if one wasn't enough. So he had to be careful of any choice he made on the day he turned sixteen.

 _Olympus to preserve or raze..._ Self-explanatory.

He kept the lines of the prophecy in his head, trying to pick them apart and see if there was a weakness that he could exploit. But no. There was nothing.

In his rage, he swung Wavebreaker so hard that he lopped off one of the heads of the training dummy.

He panted in exhaustion, but he refused to rest. He'd given the Hephaestus cabin the guns that he stole from Hephaestus' forge and given the Hecate children the spell books that he recovered on Circe's island. Both respective campers were extremely grateful for the gifts he'd given them. Though, he kept two pistols and the spell books on spell weaving and potions for himself.

That was another thing he'd noticed. Markus knew that he was terrible at archery. Him and Percy couldn't make a shot to save their lives. But with guns, he was good. Not child of Apollo good, but decent. This gave him a theory that his terrible skill in archery went much deeper. Maybe it was a curse placed on both boys, or children of Poseidon, by a god. Possibly Apollo or Artemis. Great, as if the gods hadn't given him enough shit lately.

His friends tried to talk to him, Silena, Katie, Beckendorf, Lou, but he said that he was busy. He felt bad for brushing them off, but his need to get stronger, to gain more power, pushed him forward. Silena especially wanted to talk to him. Ever since he returned from the quest, she seemed guilty about something, though Markus wasn't sure what about. Maybe it was related to why she burst into tears when he left for the quest.

Markus sighed. He was burning himself out. Sooner or later, he would collapse in exhaustion.

 _This is pointless_ , Markus thought to himself. _Training in the arena every day won't work. I'll just burn myself out. I need more power, simple as that. But how? There's no one to help me._

And that was where his mind drifted to last summer, where he swore on the River Styx that no one would stop him from gaining power to protect what he held dear. He smiled. _Guess if the Greek side doesn't work, then the Hindu or Shinto side will do just fine I refuse to believe that a fucking prophecy will control my life. I_ will _overcome this. I_ will _get more power. More power than a god. And_ nothing _will stop me._

Placing his sword near his waist, it shrunk into keychain form. He went forward, grabbing a bottle of water and poured it over his head, rejuvenating him. He drank the rest, the sweat vanishing from his body. He sighed in relief.

Maybe he should go to one of his friends and apologise for his behaviour. It was unfair to take his anger out and brush them off. He could go to Silena first. She did look like she needed to tell him something urgently.

Zooming across camp, he knocked on the door of the Aphrodite cabin. Instead of Silena, one of her brothers opened the door instead. When he asked where Silena was, her brother said that she went to the forest. Thanking him, he zipped around the forest, wondering why she was in the forest in the first place.

When he checked a particular place in the forest that wasn't surrounded by monsters, he found Silena. When he was about to walk up and talk to her, he saw that she looked like she was talking to someone. Markus was wondering if she was talking to herself or something, but then saw that she was talking into her hand. Some kind of device was in her hand.

Markus raised an eyebrow. He knew that she didn't have a phone. So what was she talking into?

He didn't hear what she was saying, as he didn't want to eavesdrop on her in case it was something important. Her conversation seemed to end, so Markus chose that time to walk forward.

"Didn't know that you had a phone on you," Markus spoke. Silena jumped when she heard his voice.

"Markus," she said in surprise and... fear? Why was she afraid? Was the previous conversation she had something she was afraid of? Why?

"Sorry to barge in on your conversation. Look, I wanted to apologise for the way I acted since I got back. I've been an ass, and I'm sorry. You were trying to help me, and I ignored you. You probably wanted to tell me something, since I saw that it was urgent. So what is it?"

"Uh, about that..." Silena muttered, nervously fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist.

Markus' eyebrow rose. "Didn't know that you got new jewellery."

Silena's eyes widened in surprise. Yeah. A gift from Aphrodite. Nothing special."

Markus nodded. He was about to say something to her when he paused. He felt something when he looked at the bracelet. For some strange reason, the air around the bracelet rippled, as if there was something hiding it. Markus was going to say that it was a trick of the eye when he felt a familiar sensation. It was the feeling he got when he used magic, specifically manipulated the Mist.

Markus' eyes narrowed. Why was Silena hiding something under the Mist?

He turned his eyes to her, his face confused. "Why are you hiding your bracelet under the Mist?"

Silena's eyes showed surprise, fear and guilt. What the hell was going on?! Her eyes darted around the forest, as if she was looking to escape. Markus' eyes narrowed even more. Okay, now he was suspicious. "Answer me," he said. "What are you hiding behind the Mist?"

Suddenly, Silena's eyes started watering. This made Markus panic. Okay, maybe he should've said it in a calmer way. This might be some personal stuff for her. Or maybe-

Silena removed her bracelet, and it morphed into a charm. But Markus wasn't focused on that. He was focused on the image of a scythe on it. At first, he didn't know what he was looking at. In Greek mythology, scythes weren't really a common weapon to use. They were kind of taboo. This was because they were used by... Kronos. Markus' eyes grew wide at the revelation that he had come to. He remembered what Luke had said to him: _You can't rely on friends. They will always let you down in the end._

"No," he said in a desperate tone. "No. Please, don't tell me..." _Please, Dad. Please Let this be a dream. This can't be happening. First the prophecy and now this?!_ "You're a spy? You're working for Kronos? How could you?!"

She continued to cry. "I'm so sorry Markus. He… He said I could save lives if I helped him; that less of my friends would die this way."

"Who would..." Markus stopped as the answer came to him. He glared at her in shock, desperation and anger. "Luke. You're working for him?"

Silena looked at him through teary eyes. "He said it would save campers lives. Then once I started, he said he would tell people that I was a traitor if I stopped helping him." She sobbed as he took a step towards him.

Markus stepped back in shock. It was like his whole world was being torn apart. This - this couldn't be happening. "Why?" he croaked. He glared at her, his eyes feeling wet. He furiously rubbed his incoming tears. "Why did you betray everyone? Why did you betray me?"

"I didn't want to!" Silena argued. "Please, please listen to me. I didn't want to betray you or anyone. But he convinced me. When I wanted to back out, he threatened me. He said that he would go after my siblings, all of them-"

"You made the choice to join him," Markus accused. He glared at her. "You helped Luke poison the tree. You put everyone at risk. The camp was almost destroyed. I-" His voice cracked. No, he refused to cry. He was not going to cry.

"You have to believe me, Markus. Please-" Silena tried to talk to him, to explain to him, but he wasn't listening.

"I hardly believe that I can trust you at all," he said coldly. He swiped the thing out of her hand and crushed it, ignoring the stinging pain that it brought. "Guess Luke was right; you really can't rely on friends."

"Markus-" Silena stepped forward, but he backed away, glaring at her. "Get away from me, _traitor_ ," he spat the last word out like poison. Silena sobbed even more at the word. "I'm done. I'm done with camp and everyone. And don't worry," he sneered as he said this part, "I won't tell anyone about your betrayal. Not for your benefit. But because I don't want others to feel heartbroken from your betrayal. First Annabeth, now you..." he spoke, glaring at her. "I'm done with betrayal."

Markus turned to leave when Silena tried to stop him. "Please... Markus, I'm sorry."

He ignored her as he dashed away using super speed, leaving her alone to sink to the floor and sob into her hands.

Markus ran out of the forest, out of the camp, just anywhere away from here. As he ran, his eyes became watery and tears were left in his trail as he ran.

His heart couldn't take it anymore. First, his life was set to be cut short by a fucking prophecy and his best friend was a traitor? It was too much.

He ran with no clear destination in his mind. He just wanted to get away from it all.

After what felt like hours, Markus stopped in an unknown forest. He didn't care that he was out of camp. He didn't care of the risk of monsters coming after him. he just wanted to get rid of his grief.

Taking a large breath, Markus let out a roar. A roar of anger. A roar of sadness and grief. His roar became a scream, a scream of desperation.

Markus let loose his emotions. The result of this was an unconscious dip into his divine powers, and the earth around him shook violently. Lightning flashed in the sky with the wind and surrounding water whipping around him in a circular motion.

Markus continued to scream, uncaring about the damage he was causing from his hurricane and earthquake. As the earth trembled, the ground cracked. A sharp pain in his gut occurred, but Markus didn't care. The earthquake continued to shake, shaking and making the trees fall. Any surrounding areas and houses were whipped away from the newly formed hurricane. It was getting faster and faster, with Markus at the eye of the storm. It started raining heavily, signifying the sudden change in weather.

Markus stopped screaming as he ran away from the clearing that he was in, the earthquake and hurricane stopping instantly because of his absence. The ground was cracked. The trees and surrounding areas devastated.

Markus sensed a nearby body of water nearby. He was tired. So tired of everything. The stress of training non-stop, the revelation of Silena being a traitor, the prophecy repeating in his heads, mocking him. It was too much. He needed rest.

Markus dived into the water, willing himself to sink to the bottom and reaching the water bed instantly. He laid there as he closed his eyes, finally gaining rest.

 **And that's a wrap. What a chapter.**

 **Quite a lot happened. Markus heard the lines of the Great Prophecy from Luke, he's conflicted about how he should proceed and his greed shows up, and finally, him knowing that Silena was a traitor and his reaction. Hefty chapter.**

 **The reason I made Luke tell Markus the prophecy is because he knows that Markus is different from the others with a different mindset. And so he wanted to convince Markus to join his side using the prophecy. As for Luke knowing the prophecy? If Kronos had an idea about it, it would make sense for Luke to know.**

 **And Markus and Percy tore into Chiron and Annabeth about the fact that they're keeping secrets from them. I like how this came out, to be honest.**

 **If you think Markus' reaction to all of this is a bit over the top, then good. That's the point. His supposed betrayal by Chiron and Annabeth, plus the dilemma he's in just thinking about the prophecy, and him finding out Silena's a traitor... well, you get the point.**

 **So, Sea of Monsters arc is finished. Woohoo! Awesome. Thank God. Next chapter, Thalia get's revived, Markus feels conflicted, training, etc.**

 **Thanks to everyone who followed, favourited, read and reviewed the story. Love y'all.**

 **Read and Review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30:**

Markus lay in the ocean, feeling the stress slowly leave him. Mentally looking back as to how he acted, he could admit that he had performed something similar to a bitch fit. He would've chuckled at the thought if he wasn't feeling so depressed.

He didn't know how long he'd been down here. Minutes, hours, hell, even days. He wasn't sure. And he couldn't find it in himself to care. He could still remember seeing the scythe charm in Silena's hands, and how heartbroken she was at him finding out that she was a traitor.

Markus didn't know if he could find it in himself to forgive her. Despite not betraying him directly, she did betray the camp, a place that Markus felt was home. However, even that feeling was shortly fading.

Ever since he'd found out about the prophecy, his feelings towards Camp Half-Blood had slowly shifted. What was once a place of home now felt like a place of imprisonment. It wasn't a camp, it was a place where soldiers were trained. Where weapons were trained.

Markus didn't mean to sound bitter, but he couldn't help it. Now that he realised it, the camp wasn't just a place for survival for demigods. It was a training camp, where they were preparing for war against the Titans. And a place for demigods to serve the gods. He'd never felt particularly loyal to Olympus, only to his father and friends. But with the revelation of the prophecy, all his remaining loyalty was destroyed. Why be loyal to people who were using him and about to leave him for dead in the end?

Even though he had calmed down, his feelings still hadn't waned. He couldn't trust anyone at camp, with the exception of Percy, Tyson, Grover and the others. And his feelings towards the camp were still bitter.

Sighing, he decided to go to the surface. He had no problem staying underwater, being the son of Poseidon, but he'd rather not feel like he was sulking and going emo. Especially at the bottom of the ocean. He reached the surface, moving towards the bed of the sea, sitting on the banks.

Markus ran a hand through his hair, contemplating on his choices. Should he go back to his apartment? Maybe he could go play some games to calm down? The thought brought a smile to his face, though he didn't feel particularly happy. He didn't feel like going to camp, but he knew that the others were going to worry about him. Huh, even now he was still worried about his friends. But the thought had merit.

"When did I start thinking about others before my own feelings?" he muttered to himself. He shook his head. "Now I know that things aren't right."

Huffing, he stood up. No time to continue sulking. Trying to pinpoint where he'd come to, he saw the path of destruction that he'd created due to his 'temper tantrum'. He couldn't really find it in himself to care for the possible mortals that he might've injured, or killed. Though he did feel bad for what he'd done.

Tracing back his steps carefully, he ran a little bit slowly, but still faster than the human eye could track. After a while, roughly twenty minutes or so, Markus had made it back to the entrance to Camp Half-Blood.

Taking a shaky breath, he stepped over the entrance and passed Thalia's tree, which had the Golden Fleece hanging on it. The peaceful, nature-filled power from the Fleece managed to calm him down slightly.

He avoided the forest in case Silena was there and completely avoided the Aphrodite cabin. He may be acting like a coward, but he wasn't eager to meet Silena again. The confrontation was still fresh on his mind, as well as the feeling of betrayal.

It just occurred to Markus that it was night-time, as evident from the night sky. It was a quiet, nice night, though he had no time to fully appreciate it as he slowly crept towards the Poseidon cabin. He must've been gone for a while.

He silently opened the cabin door and shut it behind him slowly. Inside, he could see Percy sleeping on his bed, limbs all over the place. He was also drooling, which made him chuckle. In the corner, Tyson got a large sleeping bag all to himself, since he was too big to fit in any of the beds. He was also snoring loudly.

Markus tip-toed to his own bed, past the wall which held all of their spoils of war. The head of the Cetus hung on a giant hook, now normal-sized. His pirate clothes were folded in a pile on a shelf, with the pirate hat sitting proudly on top. As he made his way towards his bed, there was movement behind him. Markus didn't move as he heard Percy speak groggily behind him. "Markus? Where have you been?"

Markus turned to slowly face his brother. "Out," he answered simply.

"You were gone for a while. Are you okay?" Percy asked, now fully awake and concerned. It warmed his heart to see his brother care about him. It made the bitter thoughts from before fade slightly, and reminded him that he still had people to care for here.

He smiled lightly. "Yeah. Just needed to get something. I'll tell you more in the morning." He waved his hand slightly. "Night."

"Night," Percy responded in kind, his head slowly heading towards his pillow. In a few seconds, he was out like a light.

Markus smiled at the image of his brother sleeping. He turned to look at Tyson, and his smile widened. He went to his bed, his body immediately curled up into his mattress. It just occurred to him how tired he was. And he was glad to finally get some rest.

 **XXX**

Markus was working with the Katie, who was representing the Demeter cabin, in the repeat of the chariot races. Despite Tantalus being returned to the Underworld, the chariot races had been very popular in the camp despite being interrupted by the stupid birds. So the chariot racing almost became a weekly thing. They now alternated between chariot racing and capture the flag each week.

He was working with Katie because, truthfully, she was one of the few that he trusted. He could've went with the Hephaestus cabin, but they already had a partner. And Percy was working with Annabeth. Markus didn't know why Percy was able to forgive Annabeth so easily, but it wasn't his problem.

He didn't want to work with Silena, though. Just looking at her brought the feeling of anger and betrayal forward in his chest. Whenever he looked at her, she looked heartbroken. Her makeup was always ruined because she was crying all the time, she rarely went to the stables to go Pegasus-riding, and she was always holed up in her cabin. Deep down, Markus felt sad at her state and wanted to comfort her, but he ignored the feeling.

Clarisse and the Aphrodite children have noticed the change in Silena and asked her about it, but she said it was nothing, even though it was clearly something. They also took notice of the fact that Markus didn't partner up with Silena, but they never asked about it.

Katie took notice of this, too. She asked what was going on between the two of them, and Markus replied that they were having a small fight, and that it was fine. Another reason Markus partnered up with Katie was because he felt guilty about not hanging out with her much this summer, and wanted to make up for it.

"Remind me again why we couldn't just watch? This was not very fun the first time around," Markus said to Katie, who just shrugged.

"People think it's fun. So we do it," Katie said simply. She smiled. "I think it's fun."

Markus just looked at her with a deadpanned look. "Didn't know you were such a daredevil."

"Says the one who went on two quests and fought legendary monsters," Katie replied cheekily.

Markus grumbled as got their chariot ready. His gaze drifted towards the Aphrodite/Hephaestus chariot, where Silena and Beckendorf were working together. He caught Silena's gaze and promptly his eyes away, purposefully missing the sad look Silena was sending him.

"Is there something serious going on between you two that you haven't told me about?" Katie said, seeing what went on between the two. She'd asked before, but Markus said that it was nothing serious.

"I told you, it's nothing," Markus responded with a false smile that Katie took notice of, but didn't comment on. The other chariots were all virtually the same except this time the Athena and half of the Poseidon cabin had decided to pull together for this one. Through looking at them Katie had a feeling they desperately wanted to get some time off.

She'd asked why him and Percy were allowed to join two different teams. Markus replied that since there were only two members, if one of them could play, the other one would get jealous. So both of them could join two different teams. It seemed unfair, but Chiron was willing to allow it.

Since they came back from the quest, Mr. D had called upon punishment for the two They then have washed up and cleaned all dishes, cutlery and tables. Something that made Markus laugh every time he saw them.

Plus there was the fact that they were Mr. D personal servants for two weeks which for the two demigods was a living nightmare and would gladly go back to the Sea of Monsters if it meant escaping from this new form of hell.

Though Percy had been given big surprise then night before when he visited the stables since the black Pegasus that Percy had rescued from the Princess Andromeda had followed him home and taken up residence at camp Half-Blood. The black Pegasus's name was Blackjack and said he would be forever loyal to Percy who he called 'Boss'.

Markus pouted at the fact. He wanted his own pet Pegasus! It wasn't fair! He planned to get his own pet in the very near future.

Though it was during one of Percy's visits to Blackjack that he was visited by the God of Thieves himself, Hermes.

Though the god did not stay long he gave Percy a note that Poseidon wanted Percy and Markus to have before he disappeared.

The note only had two words on it but the two words were enough to get Percy and Markus, who saw the note, to steel themselves.

 _Brace Yourself._

Looking over to the other chariots Markus saw Tyson at the side of the tracks acting as a pit stop for Annabeth and Percy, stating he did not enjoy being a chariot the first time around. So he was their builder and pit crew instead. Good on him.

A horn blew out signaling the race was about to start as everyone got into their chariots and prepared themselves for the second race.

Chiron stood at the side of the tracks with a horn in his hand. He looked over all the chariots and those that were inside them before nodding. Taking a deep breath, he blew into the horn as hard as he could making a loud sound resonate through the area.

The race had begun and everyone shot of from the starting line.

As soon as they shot off Annabeth and Percy quickly took the lead with Clarisse closely behind them, at least a good full chariots length behind them. Clarisse meanwhile was trying to jab her spear at Travis and Connor in the Hermes chariot.

Meanwhile Markus and Katie shot off. Being sneaky, Markus bent down in their chariot and channeled kinetic energy from his body to the chariot, speeding its movements drastically. This caused their chariot to speed forward drastically and outpace the Poseidon/Athena chariot and Clarisse's. Markus had enough time to stand up and give the peace sign to both teams as they got pissed at that. And then Markus and Katie sped off.

As that happened the Apollo chariot gained on the front tow and threw a javelin at the Poseidon/Athena chariot aiming right for the wheels.

The Hermes chariot tried to sabotage the Poseidon/Demeter chariot, but Markus held up his defensive magic shields, blocking any ranged weapon that they threw as well as - was that an exploding rubber chicken? Where the hell did they get that? To distract them, Katie mentally summoned a short but strong vine ground that acted as a whip. Waving her hand to the Hermes chariot, the vine whip got tangled into one of their wheels. Despite being small, the vine was strong enough to halt their movement completely and ended up with Connor and Travis to be thrown from their chariot due to the momentum and landed on the ground painfully. Katie had a sadistic smile on her face as she watched. She must've really hated the boys.

Both Markus and Katie high-fived at their success. Though they had to duck at the ranged projectiles coming from the Aphrodite/Hephaestus chariot. Katie held onto the reins of the horses while Markus casted one of his newly taught spells at the space ahead of the horses on their chariot. "Επικαλούμαι: Δεσμευτικά χέρια! (Invoke: Binding Hands!)" Sky blue ribbons made from magic formed from air just ahead of the horses. As the horses of the Aphrodite/Hephaestus chariot, the ribbons circled around them, tangling around them and trapping. The horses whinnied and neighed as they valiantly tried to escape their trap, but it was futile. This caused the chariot they the were carrying to stop and buckle, almost throwing Silena and Beckendorf off of their chariots.

Markus was able to mentally hear the curses that the horses were to speak through horse-talk. Damn, they really had a mouth on them, didn't they?

Telling the horses to go faster the Poseidon/Demeter chariot gained onto the Apollo chariot which was now neck and neck with Percy and Annabeth while Clarisse was now only a little ways behind them.

Suddenly, Annabeth threw a spear towards the wheels of the Apollo chariot. The wheel ended up shattering causing the horses to go wild. The two Apollo boys ended up getting thrown off and ended up in some bushes making everyone who watched laugh.

Up ahead Markus and Katie watched as the Ares chariot and the Poseidon/Athena chariot were neck and neck and were right beside each other with the two chariots scraping against one another. The two must've gotten ahead of them while they were distracted from the fall of the Apollo boys. Annabeth had the reins while Clarisse and Percy were sword fighting.

Both looked like they were trying to get one over on the other but each others defense was pretty tight. Neither could break through yet the frustrated looks on one another face told him they were not going to give up.

"Give up Prissy. You ain't winning this."

"No chance. We aren't losing to you."

Markus decided to make it even for themselves. He turned to Katie, who was holding the reins. "When I make an opening, hang on tight." His words confused her, but she managed to nod.

Calling upon the Mist to perform one of his favourite spells. " _Ionioi Hetairoi: Girisha Kaze_!" Multiple kopis and xiphos shot forward at Markus' command, interrupting the confrontation between Perct and Clarisse, moving back so that they wouldn't get pierced by the weapons. The weapons faded away, giving the Poseidon/Demeter chariot the opening that they needed.

Putting his hands on the floor of the chariot, Markus channeled enough kinetic energy to cause his insides to slightly burn from the friction from inside. But it did the job. The energy travelled to the horses and chariot, causing them to practical zoom across the track and past the two chariots from ahead. Katie managed to hold onto the reins and not fall on her face or puke.

Everyone cheered as Markus and Katie crossed the finish line before halting their chariot.

They both got off and patted the Pegasi and thanked them for their hard work. Markus mentally thanked them while they responded back that they were happy to help.

With their win it means the Poseidon cabin (by proxy) and the Demeter cabin will not have any chores for the next month making everyone from the Demeter cabin cheer.

Katie's siblings stepped forward and hugged Katie and Markus for a job well done. A couple of girls kissed Markus on the cheek in thanks, getting him to blush like a tomato. Katie laughed, though she did admit that she felt a little jealousy at the sight.

Markus threw up his hands in celebration. It felt good to win.

 **XXX**

Markus was currently meditating in the centre of the camp by the huge stone-lined fire pit. Several spell books were open in front of him, but he was currently busy at the moment.

It was a few days since the chariot races. Since then, Markus continued his training regime. Work on sword skills, read and train in magic, finish off new ideas in magic and powers, work on said powers, etc. Though he wasn't going as far as he did a couple of days ago. He'd apologized to Katie, Beckendorf, and Tyson.

Though he and the others were a little sad that Tyson was not going to be going with them. Tyson got a dream message from Poseidon telling him that Tyson was being given an apprenticeship in the Atlantean forges where he could really learn everything there was about blacksmithing and building while also honing his craft.

Markus wasn't really jealous of Tyson. Instead, he was proud of the guy. Him, Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Beckendorf had gotten together the day he left by the beach and have him warm goodbye and telling him they could visit when it was possible for them too.

He could admit that he cried a little, as well as Percy, seeing the lovable Cyclops leave. Even Annabeth who had warmed up to Tyson. They then watched as Tyson walked into the ocean and headed to Atlantis where his new life waited for him.

Though Tyson was able to forge two shields for Markus and Percy. They were forged with celestial bronze, and even had little details of their quest to the Sea of Monsters. From Markus' fight with the Cetus, to the fight with Polyphemus. Even their little scuffle with Scylla and Charybdis was included. They even transformed into watches, so that they wouldn't have to carry them around. Both boys were thankful to the cyclops and even hugged him in thanks before he left.

Now Markus was training on some ideas that he had. Specifically from comics. Channeling kinetic energy through his body, after half a second, two clones of him appeared out of thin air. They grinned a little at their creator.

The unique thing about these clones were that they weren't created out Mist, but kinetic energy. This idea came to him from reading the Flash comics, specifically about Godspeed, one of his favourite villains **(A.N. - I know that Godspeed came into comics around 2016, but screw it. Plus, I wanted the idea to come from this, so...)**.

He was able to create them through pure kinetic energy, as seen by their figures buzzing a few times. Though he wasn't able to maintain them for very long, since the technique was very draining. Though at least he had solid clones, something that he always wanted.

The clones faded, having drawn too much energy and leaving Markus gasping loudly, with blood oozing from his nose from the strain. He took a bottle of water and poured it from his body, healing him of his bleeding nose.

He took a notebook from behind him and ticked something off. "Speed clones, check. Next."

He put down his notebook and lifted up his right hand. He took a deep breath and watched as, slowly, his hand started shaking. Not from his movements, but from his vibrating his hand using kinetic energy. Another idea he took from comics.

Soon, his hand went from shaking to actually vibrating, looking as if it was a blur. He watched in awe, but didn't do anything else as he didn't want to disrupt his concentration. He placed his vibrating hand near the bottle of water on the floor and, praying that he didn't screw up, passed his vibrating hand through the bottle, not really feeling anything but the vibrations running through his hand.

Markus looked in glee as he removed his hand from the bottle and cancelled the kinetic energy flow in his hand, watching it shake from the after effects. It wasn't fully perfect, but he was finally able to phase his limbs through solid matter. Science for the win!

He took his notebook, after his hand stopped shaking, and ticked something off again. "Phasing limbs, check. Next."

He took a deep breath again and concentrated on the water molecules in the air, the water vapour that he was currently breathing out. It took a few minutes, and a lot of divine energy, but he managed to produce a trickle of water out of the air that dropped onto him. Though that was all that he could produce so far. The reason that it was so draining was because he was producing water without an available water source. Well, except for the atmosphere. This was much harder to do.

He sighed in frustration as he couldn't get the results that he wanted. "Damn. Need to train harder."

"Why don't you rest? It can do wonders for yourself," a voice said behind him.

Markus' hands crept towardsb Wavebreaker on his keychain on instinct and turned around before he came face-to-face with a very young girl.

He blinked as he looked at the girl, not believing what he was seeing. From his perspective, the girl couldn't be older than ten. And yet, when she spoke, she had a tone of maturity and wisdom. She didn't say much, but Markus could tell. She was also wearing a simple brown dress with mousy brown hair. She was sitting next to the hearth that was in the fire pit, which was suddenly lit.

She looked simple, but her eyes said differently. Her eyes were on fire. Like, literally. Her eyes were filled with flames. Like Ares', but more calm, more peaceful. They held power within them. The weird thing was, Markus felt like he met her before. He would've known if he'd met someone with such bizarre features.

She was a goddess, which Markus could tell from the power rolling off of her. But which one?

Wait. Hearth, peaceful fiery eyes, more powerful than Dionysus. Plus, he saw her from last summer. Suddenly, it all became clear to him.

"Uh, you're Hestia, right?" Markus asked unsurely. "I mean, should I call you Lady Hestia, or bow, or - shit, I'm pulling a Percy."

"There is no need to bow, Markus Henderson," Hestia said with an amused smile on her face. "Nor any need to call me 'Lady'. You may simply call me Hestia."

"O-okay." This was so weird. Markus was never really respectful to gods, except Savitr. But that was because he was an unknown god and it was best not to piss him off so early. Even Ryūjin or Hecate, two gods that helped him in training and powers, never actually got his respect. But this time, he had no reason not to respect Hestia.

Her aura was so peaceful, her demeanor calm but kind. Hell, just being in her presence made Markus feel homey and drowsy. Like he was with his mum all those years ago. The thought didn't even bring him that much heartache, since he was still in Hestia's presence.

"What is the matter? I heard that you usually have much more to say to us gods," Hestia said, still smiling serenely.

"Well, usually I have a lot more quips in my head, but I'm still tired from training," Markus said. He wasn't being smited for being casual, so might as well keep rolling with it.

"I see. But you didn't answer my question, Markus. Why do you not rest from your training? I have seen you work yourself day and night. Yet you do not rest," Hestia said with a frown, as if she genuinely cared for his well-being. Even though she'd never met him before.

"I, uh, I want to get stronger to protect myself and my friends," he answered, though that wasn't the whole truth. Hestia seemed to know this by the way she frowned even deeper.

"You are worried about the Great Prophecy, aren't you?" she asked. Markus blinked. How in the hell did she know? "I watched you from afar, seen how much anger and pain that you've held in your heart."

"Did you just read my mind? Wait, you've been watching me?" he asked in one go. Yeah, he was really pulling a Percy.

"No and yes. I just know these things. And I have watched you from afar because you, as well as your brother, are one of the few you have seen me. Who have a large amount of hope and care for family in your hearts."

"Hope? Maybe care for family, Lad- uh, Hestia. But not much hope in me," Markus said bitterly.

Hestia raised an eyebrow. The action looked weird in her current form and fiery eyes. "Is the Great Prophecy that daunting to you?"

Markus glared at her for that question, though he immediately felt bad doing it. "Of course I do! How can I not be when I'm destined to die?! When, in the end, I'll either save or destroy Olympus with my final choice! And it's not doing itself any favours in convincing me to save it."

"Maybe if you were a normal demigod. But I can tell you're not, Markus Henderson." Hestia's bore into Markus, as if staring into his soul. "The power that you displayed earlier speaks volumes of that."

"How does a little speed magic and water training help me-"

"Please, do not insult my intelligence," Hestia said, a knowing look on her face. "I know that that manipulation of kinetic energy is not due to magic. Nor is it directly from a Greek deity."

Markus' blood froze as he heard that. She knew. He didn't know how, but she knew that he had received this power from Savitr. Or at least knew it wasn't Greek. "H-how-"

"Because I know these things," Hecate said. "I know that you have received training and powers from gods outside the Greek pantheon, outside of your magic and heritage as a son of my brother."

A nervous bead of sweat trailed down Markus' forehead. "A-are you going to tell anyone?" he asked nervously, swallowing. He didn't want anyone, especially the gods, finding out that he had dealings with the Shinto and Hindu. From his interactions with the gods, he could tell there was some kind of inter-pantheon law that forbid other pantheons from actively interacting. It was probably a serious rule. And he did not want the gods breathing down his neck or possibly killing him for it.

"No," Hestia answered. "It is not my business, nor is it my secret to tell. I just recognize the signs of the power of another pantheon. The decision lies solely on you."

Markus let out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding. That was good. Hestia was quickly becoming his favourite goddess after Hecate. "So what were you saying about having hope?"

Hestia stared at him for a moment. "Why do you want power? Why do you go to such lengths to attain strength?"

Markus thought for a moment. Why did he want power? He could simply say it was because of his fatal flaw, but that wasn't it. "It's because I want to protect myself and my friends and family mainly. I don't want what happen b-before ever happen again. And also to escape the prophecy hanging over my head."

Hestia smiled at his answer a little. "Your reason for wanting power is just, even though the methods you use aren't what is expected. But let me ask you something. If you were to gain power, and become more powerful than the gods, more powerful than the Fates, what then?"

"I'll overcome the prophecy and destroy anyone in my path so that I don't die," Markus answered immediately and without shame.

"And what then?" Hestia queried. Markus opened his mouth, but no answer came out. "When you've fulfilled the prophecy, what will you do then?" With no answer, Hestia decided to continue.

"It's fine to want to grow stronger, many have wanted to do so," Hestia said. "But if you have no clear goal for you to use the power, then what's the point?"

"You're saying that I should give up on my goal?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm saying that you shouldn't give up on hope. You said that you had no hope in you. So how do you plan to overcome the Great Prophecy if you have nothing to live for? Hope is where the hearth is."

Markus thought about what she said. In a way, she was right. He'd been so desperate in trying to come up with ways to defy the prophecy that he didn't really believe that he could do so. "So what do you suggest?" he asked the goddess.

Hestia smiled. "Do not forget what gives you hope. You said that you wanted power to protect yourself and those you care for. So do not lose sight of that goal. Of what makes you you. It is fine to be greedy. But you must not let your greed control and consume you. The same for the Great Prophecy."

Markus smiled. He didn't know about the hope part, but Hestia was right. He shouldn't lose sight of what was driving him. He looked at the child goddess. "Thank you, Hestia. Your words have helped me."

"You are welcome," Hestia said, smiling prettily. Which was very weird on her form. "That is my job."

"So you're the caretaker of Olympus, huh?" Markus asked, smiling.

"In a sense," she answered, mirroring his smile. "I take care of all my family. Be it demigod or god. Hera my be the goddess of a perfect family, but I am the goddess of family, period. I care for all that I call family. Something that you might agree, since you sacrificed to me last summer."

Markus smiled. "It was because I you were probably the only goddesses that I knew about and respected at the time." Then a thought came to him. "Why don't you have a cabin here?" The thought was nagging on him. Maybe it was her aura, but Markus felt at peace and was even warming up to the goddess. If this was how she was like for everyone, it was a mystery as to how she wasn't respected at Camp Half-Blood.

"I am not an Olympian," Hestia said simply, her smile dimming a little. "I gave up my throne for Dionysus to stop an outbreak between Olympus."

"A wasted opportunity, if you ask me," Markus muttered. Hestia smiled. "I can't really complain. I tend to the hearth, as it is in my domain."

"But you deserve much more," Markus insisted. "You're the eldest Olympian. You deserve respect. It's not fair that you and the other gods and goddesses-" Markus stopped as he realized that, not only Hestia, but the other minor gods and goddesses didn't have a cabin here.

"Yes," Hestia nodded. "It is not fair. But that is how it's always been. But perhaps you could change that. Am I correct to assume that you would want to be a beacon of hope to other children of gods in this case?" She said the last part with a teasing smile.

Markus scoffed. "No way." The idea just sounded dumb. "But maybe... what if I started small. Like building a cabin for you?"

Hestia shook her head. "Zeus would not like that. I am not an Olympian. I-"

"Look, I don't care what the boltfarter says," Markus interrupted, causing lightning to flash in the sky due to the insult. Markus ignored that. "You should get the respect that you deserve. You're the eldest Olympian. Hey, since your the goddess of the hearth and home, do you mind if children of the minor gods or any unclaimed can go into your future cabin?"

"That is an amazing idea. I would obviously allow it. But tell me, why would you go so far for my sake?" Hestia asked, confused.

Markus sighed. "Call it me actually giving a shit about others. Besides, you were able to give me hope. So why not help you do the same for others?"

Hestia smiled at what he said. This smile was different from before. Whereas before she had a smile that showed that she cared about him, this was a true smile for herself. For being happy. "Thank you, Markus Henderson. May the gods bless you."

"Dunno if they're feeling merciful," Markus replied sarcastically. Then he smiled. "But you're welcome."

And then it suddenly occurred to Markus on the time. He didn't know how much time had passed since he'd been talking to Hestia, but it was certainly a while.

This was proven to be true by the sound of the conch horn, signifying that it was time for lunch.

"Go," Hestia said knowingly. "Join your friends. Hopefully, you'll come back to talk some more."

"I will," Markus said strongly. "I promise." With a wave of his hand and a smile, Markus zoomed towards the mess hall, picking up his notebook and bottle of water along the way. Leaving a beaming goddess of the hearth.

 **XXX**

Markus was lying in his cabin, resting from training. He was finally taking a break from his training. His talk with Hestia helped settle his thoughts on the prophecy. His thoughts were still bleak, but there was still hope in his heart.

Beside him was a page that detailed on how he was going to build the Hestia cabin. He might need to call in a favour from the Athena and Hephaestus cabins, though the former might not want to help him due to their parents' rivalry. Maybe he could call Poseidon and ask several Cyclopes to help him. That might work-

Suddenly a spike of power shot up from within the camp making him sit straight up. In the sky a loud thunder suddenly boomed shaking Percy, who was sleeping, awake.

"Markus, what happened?" Percy asked, tense.

"Something's happened in the camp," he said before he ran out of his room and shot out of the door.

When he was out of his cabin he saw the sky was flashing with thunder and lightning and other demigods began to pile out of their cabins to see what was going on.

Markus focused in on the energy spike and sensed it coming from atop of the hill. He dashed in that direction using super speed towards the hilltop. He saw the others trying to follow after him along with Chiron and Percy.

When he got closer to the hilltop he saw Annabeth crouching over what looked like a person. By the figure he guessed it was a girl. Annabeth looked up to see him approaching and he saw she was crying.

Even though he was still angry at her, Markus was wondering what was wrong. "Annabeth, what-"

"She was just lying here. There was a gold light coming from the tree and the next thing I know here she is." she said, sobbing.

"Annabeth, who're you talking about? Who-" Markus was saying, but Annabeth wasn't answering, continuing sobbing.

Markus looked at the girl to study her features. The girl on the ground was slightly pale looking with shoulder length black spiky hair and freckles that ran across her nose. She was wearing very punk styled clothes and had a bracelet around her left wrist. She was built like a long-distance runner, lithe and strong.

From behind them Markus turned and saw people massing around them as well as Chiron trotting over as he got closer.

He could hear Percy talking to Chiron as well as Grover trying to get his sobbing under control.

"The Fleece did it job far too well," Chiron said in a disbelieving tone, but it only further confused the other demigods.

The girl on the ground began to groan and her eyes began to flicker open. When they did Markus saw they were electric blue in colour. They were flickering all over the place as if trying to figure out just where she was.

Since Annabeth was in too much shock to move, Markus stepped forward and helped her sit up.

"Easy," he said gently. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah," the girl said. She stared at Markus in bewilderment, shivering and wide-eyed. "Who-"

"It's okay," he said. Why was he so calm towards her. As a matter of fact, since when was he the first to check up on another person that he didn't know? He personally blamed it on Hestia, who'd left him a little good-spirited after their talk. "I'm Markus. You've given everyone a bit of a surprise tonight."

The girl looked at him. "I'm Thalia, daughter of Zeus."

Markus went wide-eyed at that revelation. Daughter of Zeus? She was the girl who sacrificed her life almost six years ago to save Annabeth and Luke. But wasn't she a tree? How did-

Markus' eyes went even wider as he came to a revelation. The others were looking the same. When she spoke and said her name, everyone in the camp just looked at her in wide eyes and had a gob smacked expression on her face.

She went to try to stand up but her legs gave out immediately causing her to fall to the ground. But instead of falling, Markus caught her and picked up bridal style, who was still looking shocked at what he was thinking. But still moved in time to catch her.

He snapped out of his thinking to look at the others. He frowned at seeing them still standing. "Why the hell are you all just standing there looking?" he asked, raising his voices at everyone making them shake out of their stupor.

"I'll get you to the med bay. Hang on," Markus said. He then began to walk back to camp with everyone moving out of his way. Thalia tried to tell him she could walk but Markus stopped listening.

Annabeth quickly joined his side checking and fawning over Thalia. Markus didn't even mind her presence as he kept smiling at the thought that came to him.

Everyone else just either returned to their cabins are went to the big house.

Markus kept on smiling at what he was thinking. Because, for the first time, his future didn't look so bleak.

He didn't have to be the one who the prophecy was talking about. Thalia could take his place. From looking at her in his arms, she was a little older than him. So maybe she could take the prophecy instead of him. Meaning that he or Percy didn't have to die.

Suddenly, his future didn't look so dreadful anymore.

 **And done! Wow, two chapter updates for two different stories. What a record!**

 **So here, we have Markus getting out of his funk slowly, training in his powers (I added the Godspeed and speedster powers from DC because I love Godspeed, truthfully. One of my favourite villains), meeting Hestia, a little pep talk, ideas about a Hestia cabin (which will be added later in the story) and meeting Thalia. Nicely done, if I do say so myself.**

 **As for interactions between Silena and Annabeth, Markus won't forgive them immediately. He eventually will, but not for long. Fatal flaw of anger and all that.**

 **Next chapter will be a scene where Markus' greed is shown, development for many of the characters, including strength and power wise. That's something I plan to implement in the story in the future.**

 **Read and Review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31:**

Markus was currently practicing on using and training with magic in his cabin. He was the only one inside at the moment.

Thing at the camp over the last week had been in every sense of the word hectic. With Thalia, daughter of Zeus being brought back to life in whatever strange way that the Fleece managed to do so, the campers all acted like headless chickens and did not know how to act around her.

Some feared for obvious reason since they believed that Zeus would probably strike them down if they made fun of her. One of the Aphrodite girls made the stupid move of making fun of her clothes. The girl got electrocuted afterwards. Markus still snickered at that memory.

Thalia had spent two days in the med wing regaining her strength and Annabeth had stayed with her the entire time. The two had caught up with one another and Annabeth told Thalia all about her adventures during the last two years and all the enemies they had faced.

Thalia was impressed and looked genuinely happy that Annabeth had grown up so well and was becoming her own woman.

When she asked Thalia what she remembered about that night, all she said she could recall was lying on the ground with her eyes slowly closing and shouting as thunder rumbled above. Then everything went dark and it felt as if she was just floating in mid-air for a few minutes before she opened her eyes and found an older Annabeth and Markus looking down at her. Years passing when to her it only felt minutes.

Markus and Percy visited to say hello and introduced themselves to her which Thalia quickly responded in kind. At first, she was surprised that Poseidon had broken the oath twice, but chalked it up to the gods not being able to keep it in their pants. Markus figured that he was going to like her.

Though Markus was there Annabeth had to break the news to Thalia about Luke.

Thalia refused to believe it at first and shouted at them, telling them they were lying to her. But after Chiron back up the story and told her that Luke had changed after her supposed death, she accepted it though everyone could see the hurt on her face.

Since then, she'd been acting sad and moody most of the time. Markus couldn't blame her. Luke was her friend, probably best friend. To find out that he had betrayed her, even poisoned what was left of her, must've hurt. Markus could sort of relate. That was why he kind of comforted her when the news reached her. He said 'kind of' because when he did try to comfort her, she shocked him with electricity. When asked about why she did that, Thalia replied that a) she didn't need anyone comforting her, and b) it was payback for carrying her to the med bay like a princess.

Markus teasingly replied that she was a princess since her dad was the king of the gods. Markus had to use _Speculum Alice_ to reflect Thalia's lightning back at her for that remark.

Anyway, Thalia had managed to handle camp life well. Minus the fact that everyone seemed to be on pins and needles when around her. Markus was a little resentful to the camp for that. Not necessarily how they treated Thalia, though that was annoying, but the way they acted before. When Markus and Percy were revealed to be sons of Poseidon, everyone treated them as if they were a disease. Like they were a plague. Many campers feared them, but others were resentful. But when Thalia comes around, everyone almost seems to want to either worship the ground that she walks on, are too scared to be around or talk to her due to being the daughter of Zeus, etc. Almost no one was resentful or jealous of her. What was the difference between her and him and his brother? They were children of the Big Three too. And the way they acted towards Tyson.

Markus calmed himself down. That was in the past. He shouldn't be thinking like that. Though part of him was angry at the camp for how they acted.

He managed to block those thoughts out and decided to up his training. Despite the load of being the prophecy child being taken off of him, he still wanted to get more powerful. Though Hestia's words from before were ringing in his head as he thought about them. He wanted to listen to those words, but at the same time, his fatal flaw kept acting up when he thought about the idea of stopping. He knew that greed was a dangerous thing, especially as a fatal flaw. But he couldn't help it. It was a part of him, a part of who he was. He could understand the need to control it. That was necessary. But to go against it? It was almost physically impossible. Markus could only somewhat manage it, but he didn't really want to go against it. After all, if he was stronger, then he could deal with Kronos' forces and any opponent in his way in the future.

Satisfied with his decision, Markus made up his mind. Concentrating heavily, he managed to leave the spell books on his bed and leave his cabin, heading towards the Hephaestus cabin for the weights that he had requested.

The idea of weights came to him when he thought about ways of improving his physical prowess. So he thought about how to go about it, and the suggestion came to light after a couple of minutes. They would weigh on his body as he trained, so that when he removed them, he would be much stronger and much faster.

With a grin, Markus set off to work.

 **XXX**

Thalia crossed her arms as she and a few other campers gathered around the canoe lake dressed in swimsuits. They were having a swimming lesson of all things. Like she needed to learn how to swim. She wasn't five.

She glanced at Percy, who was helping other campers in learning how to swim.

The reason Thalia was acting grumpy was because of the person sitting cross-legged in the middle of the lake with his eyes closed. That being Markus Henderson.

She wasn't grumpy at him for any particular reason. If anything, she was grumpy because, mainly, she was jealous. Jealous of Markus. Of how he was so damn powerful.

Since her awakening from her 'power nap' in her tree, she tried to get her bearings. Being stuck in a tree for almost six years and seeing your friends either grown up or go traitor - Thalia's heart sank at the thought of Luke - was a surreal experience. Hell, the last thing she remembered fighting and dying against the army of the Underworld, and the next thing is that she wakes up with Markus and Annabeth as the first people that she saw.

And then Markus carried her to the med bay like a damsel in distress. Like a _princess_. She loathed the word. She was a warrior. Not a damn princess. And she was going to shock anyone who said otherwise.

Since she'd recovered, she was getting used to camp life. And that would've been fine, except everyone was so fucking scared of her. Like she was going to call down a lightning bolt and kill all of them. Well, maybe she would if they continued gawking at her. Even though it was due to the fact that she was the daughter of Zeus - a title that she both took pride in and loathed for obvious reasons - that didn't mean she was something to gawk at. Like an endangered animal or something.

The only people who acted normal towards her were Markus, Percy, Annabeth, Grover (whenever he could visit, as he was busy with satyr duties) and Chiron. Though Chiron looked at her with looks of expectation, like she was special. Thalia liked that. Even if it did get overbearing at times, it was nice to know that she was something special.

Though only Markus and Percy were the exceptions. They both treated her the same as everyone else. And she was glad about that. It was a good thing that not everyone placed her on a pedestal and being treated like a regular person. Though she did admit that at some points she did get angry that she was treated normally when she was the daughter of the king of the gods. Call it arrogance or pride, but she believed that she deserved a little attention once in a while. But that was her thoughts.

Maybe it was the Zeus in her, but she hated being treated as a second in command. She was used to being the one in charge. After all, that was how things were when she, Luke and Annabeth were on the streets. Even though Luke was the oldest out of them, he looked to her like she was the leader. And she took pride in that. Despite the task being daunting, she was able to keep strong.

But that wasn't how things were now. Whenever she walked around camp, she could hear people whisper behind her back. Not bad things. Just how they were scared that Zeus would smite them where they stood if they insulted her. Another thing was how strong she was. That was usually welcomed with full support from her. As a child of the Big Three, she was naturally stronger than the average demigod. Even stronger than many of the demigods here. But the one thing that burnt her badly was how she was usually compared to Markus, who was considered as possibly the strongest demigod in Camp Half-Blood.

She wanted to snap at them, but refrained. She was obviously stronger than some son of Poseidon. She was the daughter of Zeus, who was stronger than Poseidon. So by that logic, she was stronger than Markus. Right?

But when she heard the campers whisper about his feats, about how there were rumours that he and Percy battled Ares, how he defeated Lamia, Echidna, the Chimera, Medusa and the Cetus; all legendary and dangerous monsters, she started feeling inferior. And being who she was, she didn't like that. She was used to being the strongest and the one in charge.

Her inferiority reared its ugly head whenever she saw Markus train. Or as she deemed it, 'showing off'. How he always used super speed to run around the camp multiple times, how he could use magic, how he could use water in ways not thought possible, how he was always training in the arena using his sword and some sort of metal gloves. Thalia was so sick of hearing about Markus this, Markus that. Combined with his constant 'showing off', she was extremely jealous of him.

Though that wasn't fair to him, since he hadn't done anything wrong. He even helped her when she felt like she was practically displaced and distraught about Luke. It sounded like he went through the same thing. And she unfairly snapped at him for helping her. Plus, he wasn't that bad of a guy. Extremely annoying, though. Him and his brother. Always calling her a princess and annoying her.

But the one thing she was truly jealous about was the way he treated Percy. Whenever she passed them, she saw how they interacted. They played about, they trained, they argued, etc. And Markus always stated that Percy was his 'baby brother'. That brought a burst of pain to her heart as she thought about her younger brother Jason. And how he died...

It wasn't fair! Both sons of Poseidon had each other! While she was left all alone. First, losing Jason. Then turning into a tree. And that didn't even touch the fact on her mother. It just wasn't fair! Was Zeus so much of a terrible dad that his kids had shitty luck?!

All of these thoughts swirled in Thalia's head as she glared at Markus, who was now forming constructs of water without even looking. And he barely looked like he was trying. All of the kids swimming looked in awe as Markus controlled the water to his bidding. Even the kid who Percy was helping learn how to swim.

Unknown to her, Percy looked at his brother with an annoyed and jealous look on his face as well.

Her arms were crossed, her finger tapping her bicep as Thalia's frustration built. In fact, it built to the point that she released a static charge. It was a moderate shock, making everyone feel the shock and complained loudly. Thalia could see the electricity travel through the water to Markus. She could admit that she felt slightly gleeful at getting shocked and embarrassed.

Though her glee turned to anger when the water that he was sitting on froze quickly into ice, halting the flow of electricity slightly. It travelled further slightly, almost reaching Markus. But the ice turned more bluer, more compact, halting the flow of electricity instantly.

Markus opened his eyes and glared towards Thalia. "What the hell was that for?" he asked, annoyed.

She just narrowed her eyes right back and turned around, stalking off. "This is a waste of my time."

"Wonder if you're on your period, princess. Maybe that's why you're acting so moody today," Markus quipped. Thalia turned to glare at him.

"Say that again. I dare you," Thalia threatened, electric blue eyes crackling.

Markus smirked. "Sure, princess. I said-" Markus quickly stood up and performed a Sonido on his block of ice (he mentally cheered that he was _finally_ able to get the sound correct due to the timing) and appeared instantly in front of her. This shocked her, and the others watching, so much that she fell onto her ass in surprise. "- you must be on your pe-ri-od." He said the word slowly as possible, looking down at her mockingly.

Getting over her surprise, Thalia quickly stood up and, with a growl, turned and walked away, crackling with electricity as she went.

 _This isn't over, Henderson,_ Thalia thought to herself.

 **XXX**

Markus was running with a stopwatch in his hand, huffing and puffing from his daily laps around the whole of Camp Half-Blood.

He'd been doing this a lot lately. Attaching leg and arm weights to his limbs, he'd been hoping to increase his physical stats. They were definitely doing their job. It took a little longer for him to complete his laps than normal. He could complete ten laps around the camp in under thirty seconds pre-weight training if he really pushed it. Now it took him almost a minute and thirty seconds to do it with weights. Plus, they were a pain to wear everywhere.

Even so, he could feel the results. His body was getting much stronger. His build, which was usually like a runner, was now in between a body builder and a swimmer. Which he was damn proud of. Not many fourteen year olds had an almost solid six pack. And he guessed that the girls of the Aphrodite cabin (hell, girls in almost every cabin) appreciated his body as well. Since he started training, Markus had taken to mainly wearing shorts and vests. And at the end of his training, he almost always removed his vest, displaying his body covered in sweat and showing muscles in the right places and legs that were seriously buff.

Markus didn't mind the attention of the opposite sex. In fact, he appreciated it. He even found himself winking at several at the girls caught staring at him, which was usually not like him. But whatever.

But running laps weren't the only thing that he did. He also did 200 push-ups, 200 squats, 200 sit-ups and his daily laps. And that was only one rep. The reason he was even able to do all of these reps several times in a day and not collapse in a heap was due to his broken healing factor with water. Even Markus thought that his water healing ability was broken. Whenever he felt exhausted or worn out, he just splashed water on himself and he was ready to go. This was particularly useful whenever he tore a muscle from overexerting himself.

Was he pushing his body to the limit? Possibly. Was he going to stop? Hell no! He just wasn't going to keep at it every day. He spent most of his time hanging out with Katie, Percy, Beckendorf, etc. He was also working on the future Hestia cabin. Which he had the building blocks ready. He could've asked Annabeth, who was aspiring to be an architect, but he still felt uneasy talking to her about her not telling him and Percy the prophecy. Even though he wasn't the prophecy child anymore, he still felt betrayed. He lost most of his anger towards her, but he was still uneasy about forgiving her.

Besides, he could always get someone else to help him design the Hestia cabin. Though his talk about it with Chiron and, unfortunately, Mr. D wasn't how he wanted it to go.

 _Flashback_

 _"The Hestia cabin?" Chiron said skeptically, looking at the notebook that had the designs of it._

 _"Yeah," Markus nodded. "I figured that we could place the unclaimed in there, making more space for the Hermes cabin and a cabin to the unclaimed. Plus, it'll be nice for Hestia herself. It's a win-win."  
_

 _"And how would you know if Hestia will be pleased with this, Mary?" Mr. D asked in his lazy and annoying drawl._

 _Markus glared at the god for getting his name wrong for the billionth time. "Because, Diyonos, I spoke to Hestia herself," he said back, purposefully messing up the god's name._

 _Mr. D glared at Markus. "It's Dionysus, you brat."_

 _Markus shrugged. "Don't care. You get my name wrong, I get yours wrong. I'm sick of you being a bratty child."_

 _Mr. D's eyes burned with a purple light, showing that he was furious. But Markus didn't flinch as he looked the god in the eye, not taking anymore of his shit._

 _"Maybe I should follow through with turning you into a dolphin and sending you to your father. Maybe it'll do you some good," Mr. D snarled at him, an insane gleam in his eyes, which represented his domain. He was nearly frothing at the mouth in fury._

 _Markus smirked, not backing down from the god's small_ _display of power. "You sure your fat ass can get itself out of your chair to do that?" he insulted directly, not even hiding his words._

 _Before the god could do anything, Chiron stepped forward between the two. "Mr. D, please, that's enough! And Markus, you should know better than to insult a god!"_

 _"Move, Chiron! I'll send this boy to his father as ashes if need be!" Dionysus growled, grape vines suddenly sprouting from the ground and wrapping around Markus slowly._

 _Markus smirked. He vibrated his body fast enough to phase through the plants and escape them, shocking Dionysus and Chiron at the sight. Vibrating his hand, he chopped at the plants like a knife, slicing them in two._

 _Markus turned to Chiron, who was still looking shocked. "Chiron, I insulted him because I was sick of the god acting like a brat and getting my name wrong h and ann simply because he has a chip on his shoulder. But I'm not here to discuss that. I'm here to discuss the building of the Hestia cabin."  
_

 _"My boy, I'm not sure if that is possible," Chiron said with a careful look to Mr. D, who glared at Markus before turning back to his cards, giving up on killing him for now. "Lady Hestia is not an Olympian. Lord Zeus would-"_

 _"But why?" Markus asked, frowning. "She is the eldest of the first generation of Olympians. She is a goddess, and she deserves respect. Hell, he wouldn't even have a throne on Olympus if it weren't for her!" he said while pointing at Dionysus, who glared, but didn't say anything else._

 _"I agree with your sentiment, Markus. I truthfully do," Chiron said carefully. "But Lord Zeus may go against the decision. I'm not saying no," he said as Markus was about to interrupt, "as doing so_ would _be an insult to the goddess. But we have to-"_

 _"So, it's a yes?" Markus said with a smile. "Thanks, Chiron. I'll get the Hephaestus and possibly dad to help. Thanks!" And with that, Markus vanished with a Sonido._

 _End Flashback_

Markus was at least glad that he got Chiron's permission, screw what Mr. D said.

Markus ran off to get himself cooled off.

 **XXX**

Percy was busy practising in the sword arena, hacking and slashing and stabbing at the training dummies with Riptide.

With each attack, his annoyance and anger grew, little by little.

The reason he was annoyed was because, like Thalia, he was a little jealous of Markus. Okay, very jealous.

While Percy did love his brother, he didn't want to be coddled. He was sick and tired of Markus practically carrying him along as they went on quests. During the fight in the Arch, then the battle against Ares. And then in the Sea of Monsters, fighting the Cetus and Polyphemus. In all of those cases, Markus either did all of it on his own or was the main reason why the battle was won.

He wanted to be strong like him. Be more powerful than him. Ever since both of them heard the prophecy, he could see the change in Markus. He was more determined, more driven. He knew that it was because he wanted to escape the prophecy.

He too felt distraught at the prophecy. To hear that Markus was going to possibly die in the future scared him. Despite their differences, Percy loved his brother dearly, and didn't want to see him die. That despair was taken off when Thalia was introduced, though he didn't wish the same fate on her.

Percy chopped and hacked until, eventually, the head of the training dummy was lopped off.

Percy was breathing in heavily. His requests in training requests with Chiron and his own self-training was paying off. He was leagues better than he was before. But he didn't think he could win in a sword fight against Luke. Or Markus.

Sighing, he went to training again when he heard Annabeth's voice behind him. "Percy?"

He turned, seeing Annabeth standing at the entrance of the arena.

"O-oh, hey Annabeth," he said nervously. He tried to act cool, though he found that he was quickly failing. "W-what's up?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Despite looking and acting bossy and a little annoying, Percy still found her cute. "Nothing much, Seaweed Brain. You?"

"Oh, nothing. J-just, uh..." Percy tried coming up with an excuse, but none came to him. He was about to finally say something when Annabeth said knowingly. "You're training because you feel jealous of Markus, aren't you?"

Percy was about to deny it, but knew that it was futile. Annabeth could read him like a book. "Yeah," he said, shoulders drooping.

Annabeth sighed. "Percy. You can't keep comparing yourself to Markus. That's not going to work."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Percy snapped at her. "I know that! I know that no matter how hard I train, I'll never be as good as him. But I'm tired. Tired of being carried about like a burden when I can do something. We're both children of Poseidon. And yet it seems like he's so far ahead of me. Always ahead. Always strong. Well, guess what? I'm tired of Markus being the only strong one! I don't want to be a useless burden!"

After his speech, Percy panted, his face red. Annabeth looked at him, shocked. Her mouth was open slightly. She looked at him in sadness. "I-I didn't know that it was that bad," she whispered. "At the Sea of Monsters, I thought you were only slightly jealous of your brother. I didn't know that it meant so much to you."

Breathing in deeply, Percy was able to regain his composure. Albeit, barely. "I-I'm sorry for unloading on you like that. It's just - I just want to be able to stand beside Markus. Not behind him."

Annabeth sighed. Then she looked at him knowingly. "You're not the only one who feels like that, Percy."

"W-what?" Percy's eyes went wide at that.

"Despite on your level, I do feel like I don't want to be left behind. You and Markus and other children of the gods have amazing powers. While I can only sprout facts from a textbook. And before you say something to make me feel better," Annabeth held up her hand to stop Percy from saying anything else, "I know it's true. That's why I'm also training. So that I won't get left behind by you guys. And not just us, but Katie, too."

"Katie?" Percy enquired, puzzled.

"There you are, Annabeth," a voice said behind them. Both Annabeth and Percy turned to see Katie, who was sitting on a large flower head. The flower head was able to guide her to the two, connected to a very long thorny vine. Percy's jaw dropped at seeing her display of power. He'd never seen her do that before.

Meanwhile, Annabeth sighed, annoyed. "Couldn't you wait a little bit, Katie?"

"Nope," she said with a smile. She jumped off her flower head, patting the plant head. The plant seemed to purr a little, before heading out of the arena. "I couldn't wait. Not while I was kicking your ass."

"You still can't beat me in knife-fighting," Annabeth retorted back, smirking. This caused Katie to scowl.

"That doesn't count," Katie growled.

"Woah, woah. Time out," Percy said, waving his hands. Both girls looked at him questioningly. "H-how could you do that? W-when could you do that?"

"Training," Katie shrugged. "Turns out, most people forget that Demeter is one of the elder gods, more older than Zeus, despite being a peaceful goddess. Meaning that she's a very powerful goddess. Though I do admit that Markus helped me a lot."

"He did?" Percy asked. "How?"

Katie huffed. "Did you guys know that he was big on comic books and anime?"

"Uh, yeah," Percy nodded while Annabeth looked puzzled.

"Well, he kept on comparing my powers to some characters called Poison Ivy from DC and Hashirama Senju from Naruto. And when he showed me those characters, after I slapped him for comparing me to Poison Ivy because I do not nor will I ever dress like that, I was inspired. A little bit of training and presto!" Katie held up her hand and a thorny vine burst from the ground in a flash. "Neat, huh?"

Annabeth turned to Percy. "You see? We're all training. I plan to work on knife-throwing - something Travis and Connor showed me a while ago - and hopefully get stronger. So does Katie. We all want to grow stronger and not get left behind."

"Yeah," Katie nodded. "And I plan to prove that the Demeter cabin isn't just a cabin full of gardeners, but fighters."

Percy slowly smiled seeing the determined looks on the girls' faces. Maybe, if they worked together, they could all get stronger. "Thanks, guys." Lifting up Riptide and hefting it upon his shoulder, he smirked. "Let's get stronger together."

 **XXX**

A few days after Markus' got permission from Chiron about the Hestia cabin, it was time for weapons training in the arena. Usually, the classes Markus had included cabins four, twelve and three. But today it was just three and twelve.

Clarisse had taken over the class this summer as the instructor and clearly relished it.

Markus was glad because he wanted to practise in another weapon today. Specifically the spear. It was more of a back-up weapon in case he ever lost Wavebreaker. Sure, he had Beowulf and his knives, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

That was why he had Clarisse personally fight him and teach him spear-fighting the hard way. That being her attacking him and him defending and dodging while learning to attack with a practise spear in his hands.

Markus thought that Clarisse would show more enthusiasm in trying to beat him up. But she had a serious expression on her face. Which puzzled him. Usually, Clarisse was happy trying to fight him, but she seemed more focused.

"Henderson, I want to ask you something," Clarisse said seriously, thrusting forward with her spear Maimer and connecting with his spear. Markus quickly disengaged as he didn't want to be electrocuted by her spear.

"What is it?" Markus asked, flipping his spear around and holding it steady. He was steadily getting better at wielding a spear, but he wasn't on Clarisse's level yet.

"Why is it that every time Silena is around you, she bursts into tears? What did you do to her?" Clarisse growled, aiming her spear at his midsection, only for Markus to step sideways briefly as he tried to stab her. But Clarisse paused in her strides, trying to aim for the side of his head. Markus managed to duck and roll, holding his spear to one side. Clarisse seemed really pissed.

Markus' face became like stone. "That's none of your business."

"It is when you've made my best friend cry! Now answer me!" Clarisse said, trying to skewer him again.

But before she could continue her charge, she was interrupted by a voice. "Hey. Do you mind if I join?"

Everyone stopped to see Thalia stepping forward into the arena, sparking with excitement. Literally.

Clarisse growled. "Did you have to butt in now, girlie?"

"Sorry about that," Thalia said, looking towards Markus intently. "Just wanted to blow off some steam. That cool with you?"

"Fine," Clarisse huffed. She turned to Markus. "Hope you lose."

"Don't bet on it," Markus scoffed. Clarisse stepped away as Thalia stepped forward.

She nudged her chin towards him. "I'll take Barnacle Brain."

"You mad because I called you princess, princess?" Markus taunted, getting Thalia to scowl. Markus smirked. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

The two demigods stood in the center of the arena. Both brandishing their chosen weapons. To make things fair and to prevent fatal injuries, they were banned from using magical weapons and were using issued practice weapons. Thalia had chosen to go for a spear while Markus elected to go with a sword.

"Okay, make it clean. Got it?" Clarisse ordered as she eyed each combatant in turn.

"Whatever." Thalia answered flippantly. Markus just smirked.

"Right then, fight!"

Thalia flashed her palm forward, a blue static bolt shooting down her arm and through the air to strike Markus.

He just casted _Speculum Alice_ , returning the bolt back towards Thalia, who looked unimpressed.

"That old trick? It won't work, Barnacle Brain," Thalia taunted with a smirk.

Markus just raised an eyebrow. He turned to Clarisse, who didn't say anything. Then he turned to Thalia. "So we're using powers, now? Well then."

Markus blitzed towards Thalia, who looked surprised but ready as she met his charge with her spear. She tried shocking him by running electricity through her spear, but Markus disengaged, slipping out of the lock and kicking her in the stomach. This caused her to stumble as Markus slashed at her main spear arm while she was distracted. She managed to dodge, but still ended up with a slight cut.

Thalia inspected her injury before glaring at him. "What?" he asked. "You're the one who used your powers. I'm not allowed to use mine?"

Thalia scowled. "Trust me. You're not getting that chance."

She raised her spear in the air. With a yell, she called forth lightning from the sky. The demigods watching were slightly blinded, but managed to continue watching. Aiming her spear directly at him, she shot forward a bolt of lightning, much stronger than before.

Expecting this, Markus sidestepped the attack using his super speed, a move that he dubbed Quick Step **(A.N. - The same move Sonic does in Sonic Unleashed)**. He smirked cockily. "You missed."

Yelling, Thalia continued to call forth lightning bolts, trying to fry him where he stood or continuing aiming bolts at him. He continued dodging at super speed, still having his cocky smirk. She tried aiming at the ground, trying to predict where he was going to go, but Markus countered this by activating _Speculum Alice_ , sending the bolts back at her. "Give up, yet?" he asked, still smirking.

Thalia roared in frustration, causing a bolt to strike near the demigods, startling them and making them back away. Channelling lightning through her spear, she charged forward, fed up with ranged attacks.

Smirking, Markus used the water vapour in the air to summon enough water, and then wrapped it around his sword. Then he transformed the water into ice, coating it onto his sword. He read somewhere that, while ice could conduct electricity, it was also a very bad conductor. So he was using ice to take care of Thalia's lightning.

He charged forward, meeting her strike and clashing with their respective weapons. As Thalia tried to pierce him, Markus deflected, the ice doing its job of not conducting lightning. They continued clashing, neither side yielding. Until Thalia left an opening. At her legs.

Disengaging from their lock, he bent low and swept her legs from under her. Stomping on her wrist, she cried out as she was forced to let her spear go. With that, he held the ice-coated sword to Thalia's neck, signalling the end of the match.

Thalia glared at him, but couldn't do anything as he held her at sword-point. "Yield?" he asked, smirking. "And if I see so much as a flicker of static, I'll freeze you."

Thalia growled, but couldn't do anything. "Fine," she bit out. "I yield."

Seeing that Clarisse signalled the end of the match, Markus removed the ice from his sword and moved the water elsewhere. He removed the sword from Thalia's neck and held out his hand to help her up. But Thalia just slapped it away. Then she stood up, stomping towards the exit. But not before throwing her practice spear at the stand, knocking the other weapons down.

Pollux, from cabin twelve, shook his head. "Suddenly, she doesn't seem so scary. She just seems like a bitch."

"Right?" Markus said, nodding in agreement. "What is up with her? Before, she was fine. But now she just seems so bitchy. My money's on her period."

The class snickered as Markus turned to Clarisse. "Oh, and if you want to know what's going on between me and Silena, ask her. And tell her to answer honestly."

With that, Markus zipped away, leaving Clarisse conflicted.

 **XXX**

Markus was in the Poseidon cabin, contemplating something.

It was only a few hours since his fight with Thalia. Since then, he's been making trips outside camp to get certain items. Namely his game consoles, anime DVDs and manga and comic books and set them in a pile of his own in the cabin. He planned to bargain with the Hephaestus cabin to see if they could help install it into the cabin, seeing as they were the most tech-savvy cabin. But his mind wasn't on that. His mind was on the runes that he collected.

He made a quick dash to Spellhaven during his run as he wanted to go through with what he had in mind. And that was to perform a ritual upon himself.

He knew that this was serious business. Like, life-and-death seriousness. Namely because performing a ritual upon oneself was extremely deadly and risky. It was also a one-way ticket to suicide, because applying runes upon oneself was never actually done. Those who tried died in the end.

The reason that he was even attempting to try this was because that the idea was a backup plan when he assumed that he was the prophecy child. He... planned to perform rituals on himself to boost his magic, demigod and physical potential. This... this was the highlight of his greed. He was so eager for power that he was willing to mutilate himself and perform rituals that could possibly kill himself.

And yet, he didn't find himself caring about the risks. All he wanted was more power. So why was he attempting to perform the rituals when he wasn't the prophecy child? The burden was lifted off of him. He wasn't going to die when he turned sixteen.

The answer was because of Thalia. Markus didn't know how strong she was, previous spar aside, but he could tell that he was stronger than her. In terms of power, of course. Plus, he didn't know how old she was. Fourteen? Fifteen? She was turned into a tree when she was twelve, yet she looked like she was fourteen or fifteen. She must've aged much than normal while in tree form.

He didn't exactly know when she was going to turn sixteen. Meaning that the prophecy could commence any time. Meaning that he needed to prepare for Kronos' forces.

Markus had ran to Spellhaven to collect a knife used in rituals, and several runes. Not just Greek runes, though. He had Norse, several Chinese ones, etc. Though he wasn't going to use all of them. He was greedy, not stupid. He planned to use four to five runes max on his body. The reason was because if he used more, he would disrupt the flow of his magic and power. Meaning that he could lose his magic if possible, and he didn't want that.

He had drawn a containment circle across his whole cabin, while putting a silencing and locking rune on his door to keep others from coming in. The runes that he planned to use in his ritual were drawn on several scrolls:

Κράτος: the Greek word and rune for Kratos, Greek god of strength, might, power and sovereign rule. Around the rune were the words 'Δύναμη' and 'Εξουσία', meaning 'strength' and 'power' respectively. The words had ties to the god and were traits that he wanted. The two words circled the Κράτος rune in a protective triangle.

Fehu: Norse rune for Frey, Norse god of fertility, growth, virility and sunshine. Markus didn't know much on Norse runes, so the words he put forward in particular were 'growth' and 'virility'. This was going to give him more energy and vitality to help him. Though his Old Norse was pathetic.

Uruz: Norse rune for 'ox'. Markus wanted this rune due to its meaning. Endurance, raw power, freedom and emotional and physical strength.

The symbol of 'Yin': this wasn't a rune, more of a magic tattoo that had the effects. This represented the earth, cold and dark. It was a Chinese philosophy that Markus became interested in after reading about it. He mainly wanted the earth affinity, but welcomed the others.

The symbol of 'Yang': another magic tattoo that was a Chinese philosophy. It represented heaven, heat and light. The light and heat affinity were very useful. And the meaning of 'Yang' sort of translated to physical strength or life in some cases.

Markus sighed. He knew that what he was performing was dangerous, stupid, suicidal, all of these things. But he had to do this. For himself and those he cared about. That was why he fought.

Bolstered by this, Markus created two speed clones to help him set up what he needed. He applied what he dubbed 'magic batteries' runes to his clones. What they did was take out a chunk of his magic and convert that into energy for his clones, since they were made out of kinetic energy. This allowed them to last for much longer. Though the runes were a bit draining to make.

One clone made a basin of water for him that was almost full. While the other one helped him apply each rune or tattoo on his body with the ritual knife. Markus had a piece of metal to bite onto in case the pain got to much. As soon as the clone used the knife to make contact with his skin, he immediately bit into it so that he wouldn't scream in pain.

The pain was agonising. It was hot. And it was slowly driving him mad as the knife dug into his skin, but he endured. The clone put the Κράτος rune on his right bicep, the Fehu rune on his left pectoral, the Uruz rune on his stomach and the Yin and Yang symbol on his back. The process was long and painful. This hurt more than any injury he suffered. And he hadn't even activated them yet.

The whole thing took an hour to do. And Markus wasn't exaggerating. The clone had to get the symbols and tattoos and runes exactly on his skin with no errors. It was almost impossible, but the clone managed. After the process was done, Markus felt like passing out from the pain. But he held on. The metal in his mouth was slowly bending due to how hard he was biting into it.

Then one of the clones practically carried him to the water basin, since he was too weak to move. The water wasn't part of the ritual. It was to help him heal any injury or pain that he suffered except the runes, and was meant to speed the process up for him. While normal rituals usually took days to be completed, thanks to his healing factor from the water, it should take roughly an hour or two.

With a deep breath as the speed clones held him above the basin, Markus used his magic to activate the runes, spreading his magic across his body. He just managed to register the pain and magic power swirling around the room and quickly chanted each rune in their native language before the clones dropped him in the basin. He had time to see the cabin light up due to the containment circle lighting up before he passed out from the pain that he experienced.

 **Done. Got this chapter done pretty quickly in one day.**

 **Hope you all liked it. I included POVs for Thalia and Percy, showing their thoughts of the situation they're in. For Thalia, she feels jealous of Markus mainly due to to her attitude and fatal flaw: power lust. I just realised something as I wrote this chapter: both of them lived on the streets early in their lives, they have similar fatal flaws. Both would do anything to protect their friends, both children of the Big Three and know the burden of that, etc. ... I kind of made it easier for her to fall for him without me even knowing it. And the reason that she acts... well, bitchy, is because she feels out of place. Being a tree for so long and suddenly waking up in the world today is a real shock to her. Not to mention the revelation of Luke being a traitor, along with her fatal flaw acting up... yeah.**

 **As for Percy, this is sort of how he felt in the Sea of Monsters, only more expressive. But he's not the only one feeling like that. Like I said before, the others will be stronger than their canon counterparts.**

 **The Hestia cabin is coming into plan and will start being built soon. And the end of the chapter showed how far Markus' greed will go. The ritual part was an idea that I had in my mind with Markus' fatal flaw in place. And it makes sense for him to do this. The specific runes/tattoos that I picked would play into the story:** **Κράτος for strength and power, this will increase his physical prowess to actual demigodish level to sort of god-level as the story goes on, as well as let him use his power - demigod and magic - with more ease. The Fehu rune is for growth in everything and vitality. The Uruz is for endurance and mental and spiritual strengths. Yin and Yang... that'll come into play later.**

 **The next couple of chapters for this story will be more development chapters before the Titan's Curse book. Probably three or four more chapters for every other character, not just Markus.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks to all those who support the story. Makes me want to write more.**

 **Read and Review!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32:**

As Markus woke up from his needed 'power nap', he quickly rose out of the water in the basin that he was in. He was suddenly aware of the time that had passed. He looked around to see his speed clone standing by, cleaning everything up. This indicated to Markus that not much time had passed. He had put enough magic in the magic battery rune to last up to an hour. Since it hadn't dispersed yet, Markus could tell that an hour hadn't passed yet. His water healing truly was broken.

He grabbed a shirt, wanting to hide the runes and tattoos from other people. If people did see them, he'd say that they were tattoos. He didn't want any children of Hecate seeing them, as they could decipher what they were and know what he did. He wasn't ashamed of what he did to get more power, but he didn't want anyone poking their nose into his business.

Mentally checking himself, he found that he felt... stronger. Lighter. As if gravity had no hold on him. Channelling magic through his body and activating his runes, his body practically glowed and hummed with power. His Κράτος, Uruz and Fehu runes were glowing brightly in particular.

Markus smirked. It worked. It actually worked. And he wasn't dead. And he was left with all of this power...

He grinned, liking his accomplishments. He nodded towards his speed clone, who dispersed into energy. Markus wasn't feeling particularly tired. In fact, he was full of energy.

Grinning, he went out of his cabin, it being free of any of his previous work. As he stepped out, he immediately went to the arena. Breathing in heavily, he made to use his super speed to make a quick dash.

Half a blink later, he almost hit the arena wall, having stopped by himself hastily.

He blinked in surprise. What the hell happened? He wasn't usually this fast! Two seconds, maybe. But that was almost instantaneous! Sure, he wanted to improve himself but he didn't think that it'd be this strong.

Getting himself focused, Markus applied less kinetic energy to his body, moving slightly slower than before but still moving faster than normal. After a few test runs, he finally managed to get a hang of his speed. After all, what was the point in speed if he had no grip on his bearings? Markus planned to learn a spell for that later on.

Satisfied with speed, Markus planned to focus on strength next. He didn't actually have super strength, but he wanted to test how far he could push himself. Clenching his fist, walked towards a training dummy and punched it will all of his might.

He accomplished what he wanted. That was _not_ for the dummy to be broken off its post, having a giant fist-sized dent inside of it and becoming crumpled as it went sailing across the arena to the wall.

Markus blinked stupidly at his strength. Maybe the runes did too good of a job. That was so fucking awesome! He had super strength! Actual super strength! He was like a real life Hulk. Super strength. Rage. Maybe he could paint himself green. It was his favourite colour...

But with this strength, he could possibly kill a human being with a single punch! That was awesome... and a little scary, to be honest. He didn't want to suddenly get angry and kill a potential ally or friend. Again, he was going to need to learn control. This was harder than maintaining his speed since he'd never actually had super strength before.

Wait, if he had super strength, then would he need to keep using Beowulf? Since it was now kind of pointless. Or maybe he could combine his attacks with Beowulf... Markus grinned, liking the images of devastation that he could cause.

But first, control. So Markus kept on practising on his new super strength. The results weren't as he expected. He kept on making craters when he wanted to make small indents. And any training dummies that he used either had their head punched off or they were cut in half.

It got so bad that others investigated what was going on, only for Markus to wave them off, saying everything was fine. Seeing the devastation, they weren't really sure, but left him to his own devices.

Okay, so super strength was on a hold for now. Let's try magic.

Closing his eyes, Markus concentrated on his magical core. And was shocked stupid at the results. His magical reserves were massive! Way more than before. If he were to compare it in terms of normal things, Markus would compare to his reserves to that of a completely full bathtub of water. Why water? Because why not, he liked it. Anyway, spells like _Sagitta Spiram_ or _Speculum Alice_ didn't take as much magic, so the magic - represented as a bathtub - would lower slightly with continued use. However, powerful spells like _Stella Inspiratione_ or his _Ionioi Hetairoi_ spells took up a large amount of magic, almost half the bathtub depending on how much magic he poured into it.

But his reserves now? They weren't a bathtub. They were practically a fucking _ocean_. And he wasn't even exaggerating. His reserves had increased drastically. His magic felt like it was literally overflowing through his body. His power was raw, primal and filled with magic. Guess the ritual did its job very well. And that didn't even cover his divine core. When he talked about his divine core, it was the core of divinity given to him from Poseidon that he used for his demigod powers. He had two of them. One was his main one, as a son of Poseidon. It was like the size of a meteor **(A.N. - Kind of like how Naruto's chakra was when he was training to control the Nine Tails' chakra in Naruto)**. Unsurprisingly, it had an oceanic feeling to it. His second was half his meteor-sized oceanic core, which represented his divine powers that he received from Savitr.

All his reserves had increased drastically. While this was good, and what he wanted, having too much power meant that he little to no control. He could pour a large chunk of magic into small spells like _Sagitta Spiram_ and it could backfire on him heavily. So what he needed to learn was restraint.

Nodding to himself, Markus set about training his new, powerful body.

 **XXX**

It had been a few days since he'd done the ritual on himself. And he'd made some interesting discoveries.

Due to his Κράτος rune, his skill with using his powers had increased. His energy felt more fluid when he used it, more easier to access. This made it so that he could use his powers with hardly any strain and he even used them without thinking.

For his water powers, his control over vapour and blood had increased drastically. With water vapour, he could now draw from almost anywhere to produce water from the moisture in the air, as well as turning water into vapour as well. It was the same as with ice, only instead of turning water solid, the molecules would spread out to become a gas.

A fun fact was that he could even transform his body into vapour, turning into a cloud of vapour for a good thirty seconds before he passed out in exhaustion. And then woke up again twenty seconds later. This was an excellent increase in skill in using water. He now had three ways of avoiding physical damage: phasing his body through vibration, his vapour body, and a new move that he created on the spot. For simplicity sake, he called it 'Hierro', based off the technique from Bleach. He focused his somewhat controlled magic around his body and hardened it, creating almost iron-like skin. Swords and shields practically bounced off him, depending on how much magic he put into it.

For blood control, he could now control other people through blood with more ease, as well as manipulate his own. This was shown when he took control of the Stolls with his blood control and made them make stupid gestures as well as embarrass them by practically manipulating them like a puppet. Though he couldn't do this to everyone. Controlling other people's blood was hard because a person's body naturally fought against the flow of their blood. This could even be done deliberately. So he had to have a greater will than the person he was controlling. And he wasn't even sure he could manipulate ichor, so he wasn't sure about controlling gods. Still, mortals and half-bloods were fair game.

For his other powers, he unlocked a new ability: storm control. Specifically lightning and minor wind control. After realizing that Poseidon was known as the Stormbringer, he guessed that he could summon storms as well. Markus had seen proof of this when he was angry at Chiron and unconsciously summoned a small hurricane.

So he got to work. His divine core was more welcoming and easier to use that unlocking his new powers were much easier. After only an hour of concentrating, he could use lightning and a small amount of wind no problem. His lightning was almost on the level of Thalia, and were steadily increasing. This was shown when he offered another spar with Thalia, and trounced her by practically cancelling out her lightning with his own. Of course, she wasn't really happy about this, but whatever.

With his level of concentration, he could produce small amounts of lightning from his fingertips and use it as a long-ranged blast. Or even channel lightning to his hand, encasing it in electricity. Or even channel it through his sword. He had fun creating some lightning based attacks from anime, and even covered his body in lightning when he ran, so he was similar to the Flash.

With wind, he could produce a small current. He couldn't fly (both because his wind affinity wasn't strong enough yet and Zeus was still a stingy bastard) but he could use small gusts and could almost channel wind through his weapons, coating them in a sharp wind aura. Though this was harder to do than lightning.

He could summon a hurricane at will, but tended not to. He was still in camp, and didn't want to accidentally destroy it through training.

With his earthquake control, he had improved greatly as well. He could now make small-scale quakes in the ground to large-scale ones that would go very high on a Ritcher Scale. Not only that, but by channeling earthquake energy in his hand like he usually did, he could cause this to explode with energy, doing something similar to how Whitebeard did it in One Piece. He could now somewhat crack the air, or disturb or disrupt the air currents with the vibration from his energy. But for his sake, he called it cracking the air.

For kinetic energy use, he could now steal energy from objects in motion and add it to his own power. How this worked was that any object or person in motion had kinetic energy. So what he did was basically coat his hands in kinetic energy, and then catch that person or object. This disrupted the kinetic energy in them/it and then he absorbed it into his body. With this, he could basically catch arrows out of the air, after being launched from their bow string. Or even bullets. But this was harder, since they moved faster. As evidence by having a speed clone shoot at him with his gun and him trying to catch the bullets, using his heightened reflexes as a demigod. He ended up with bloody fingers from his tries, but he managed to catch one, and that was enough.

He could also use kinetic energy similar to how speedsters in DC are able to use the Speed Force, though not the most overpowered powers. He could, however, rotate his arms to create somewhat vortexes **(A.N. - Like how Flash sometimes does it in the CW shows),** vibrate his voice for intimidation or badassery, use kinetic energy to form small weapons, due to it actually being energy - like small knives or something - or to create energy constructs. The last part was his most favourite power out of his kinetic energy, since he planned to create a speedster suit out of kinetic energy and be that speedster. It was a tie between Flash and Godspeed, but Godspeed won out.

For magic, he just practiced on the spells that he knew or tried to make them better, or creating his own spells that he wrote down using just pure magic. He didn't learn any new spells since he needed to learn control. If he learned a new spell, he probably would overshoot it and end up with it exploding in his face. He also focused more heavily on runes, and not just Greek ones. He learnt a few Japanese, Norse and Chinese. Though his Chinese rune knowledge was limited.

He also found out that, due to the Yin and Yang symbols on his back, he had slightly powerful affinities for umbrakinesis and photokinesis, given what both tattoos represented. Though he was more used to using his photokinesis since he knew a few more light spells than he did darkness spells, though he planned to get around this.

He was also able to recreate Second Gear that was based off of One Piece. He knew how the technique worked, but the process was hard. He was essentially increasing his blood flow to make him move faster, well, faster than normal, and make his strikes more powerful and faster. It might not do much, but he planned to use the technique quite often. He didn't know what he was going to for Third Gear, but he'll come to it later. Maybe use lightning.

Was he overpowered? Yes, and he had no shame in exploiting it. However, there was one downside to his upgrade via runes.

That downside came into light when he was walked around camp one day. He was planning on asking Beckendorf something when he saw Katie walked by. She waved at him. He was going to wave back when his eyes were immediately drawn to Katie's appearance. More specifically, her bust.

This wasn't him experiencing puberty. He knew about puberty and wasn't shy to checking girls out when given the chance. But this was different. He could usually could control his hormones. Now he felt them swirling inside of him, like his perverted thoughts bunched up into one giant thought and exploded. And he couldn't control it. Desire literally overcame him, making his eyes light up in a lustful manner, different than his lust for power, as his eyes raked over Katie's form. She was wearing a camp t-shirt that did nothing to hide her developing bust. She also wore shorts that displayed her long, muscled and beautiful legs. Lust was literally the only thing on his mind as he kept gazing at his friend, almost missing her snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Markus? Markus!" Katie shouted, worried and annoyed. She blushed as she saw him staring at her body. Why was he staring at her like that.

"W-what?" Markus asked, snapping out of his daze. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, I... I just remembered something."

"Was it on my shirt or chest?" she asked, annoyed. Her embarrassment showed though as she was blushing heavily.

"N-no!" Markus exclaimed. "Sorry, just feeling... different. I got to go, see ya!" And with that, he disappeared instantly, making Katie blink in surprise.

As Markus went away, his face was red. What the hell was wrong with him?! Why the fuck was he staring at Katie like a piece of meat? He appreciated girls, but this was totally different.

But this wasn't the only instance that this happened. When Markus went to see Percy, who was training himself, he also saw Annabeth with him as well. Usually, he steered clear of Annabeth since he was still a little angry from before. But now he stayed and watched the two, mostly Annabeth. His eyes lit up with desire and lust as he observed her: her wavy blonde hair, her athletic frame, her budding figure, her tan legs that seemed to go on-

"Markus? Hey, Squid Head!" Annabeth exclaimed, creeped out and embarrassed at his staring at her. Did she have something on her face or something?

"Wha?" Markus blinked. He then scowled. It happened again! What the fuck was happening to him?! Why the hell was he staring at almost every girl that he saw?! And why was he almost always thinking of his second head?!

Markus sighed. "Nothing, Annabeth," he replied, making Annabeth a little sad that he didn't call her Annie or Wise Girl, even though she hated the first nickname. This meant to her that he still didn't forgive her. Before she say anything, Markus zipped away to check something.

His final instance was when he was sparring with Thalia, for like the tenth time. Seriously, did this girl not know when to quit?! But that wasn't what he was focused on. As they sparred, Markus watched her. Only, instead of watching her in terms of fighting, he was looking at her figure. She seemed to be the most developed of the girls that he'd observed. Which made sense since she was older. Her chest heaved as she panted in exertion, showing some sweat trailing from her neck to her cleavage. Markus almost leered as he watched her breasts. He also looked at her long legs, which looked like they would rip the jeans that she was wearing. Markus thought that since she had large and supple thighs, that they led up to a beautiful and delightful as-

Markus was so very thankful for his water sensing ability. He'd activated it as he was forced to avoid looking at her ugly shield, Aegis. Which he deemed as a stupid hax. His sensing ability helped him snap out of it and dodge the surprise attack from Thalia's attack and disarming her again. When she got frustrated and stormed off again, Markus was proved right. She did have a beautiful ass. It was so big and jui-

Goddammit, not again! Markus almost screamed in frustration as he snapped out of his lust-filled thoughts. As he left the arena and dashed to his cabin, he dropped onto his bed. He placed his head on his pillow and screamed into it in frustration.

"Why the fuck is this happening to me?!" he screamed into his pillow. His voice was muffled, but he didn't care. "Since when did I turn into a fucking creep?! Every time, it happens ever since a few days ago and-" Markus' head rose from his pillow from shock and realization.

A few days ago. When he got his runes...

Markus sped across his cabin, looking up the words that he'd inscribed into his runes. He eventually landed onto one that answered his questions.

The Fehu rune with the word 'virility' circled. He'd thought that it just simply meant strength and vitality. But no. Looking it up properly, he saw that it meant that he would have strength, energy, and... a strong sex drive. It also symbolized manliness.

With his problem answered, Markus almost wanted to pull his hair out of his head in frustration. Why. The. Fuck. Didn't. He. Check the meaning of the words that he was going to use?! Because of the Fehu rune, as well as the Uruz, he was basically experiencing another heightened version of puberty. The fuck?! He didn't want to be a walking creeper wherever he went! He already went through puberty once, he damn well didn't want to experience it again.

He growled, almost wanting to reach forward and destroy the wall in front of him. Markus blinked. The hell? He usually had more control over his emotions and anger. Why... oh, right. His emotions and hormones were out of control. Great, now he needed to control his previously controlled emotions as well as his powers.

Markus sighed. Maybe these runes were more trouble than they were worth.

 **XXX**

Markus was in the forest, wanting a quiet place in where he could train his emotions. He left three magically energized speed clones to start working on the Hestia cabin. Hey, he had to start somewhere. He sent them to ask the Hephaestus cabin for help.

He headed towards a clearing that showed the Fist of Zeus. As he walked through, he heard someone panting. Curious, he went past the rows of trees to see Thalia training.

The daughter of Zeus was sweating from head to toe. She had taken off her jacket revealing her tank top underneath showing of her powerful arms and her amazing toned body. The way she moved almost looked like she was dancing, there was a certain grace in each of her steps that was hard to understand. Her jeans were skin tight showing off her long muscular legs and wide hips as she used them to turn and twist her spear around. Her chest rose and fell from her deep breaths showing off her large perky breasts.

Markus almost drooled, before snapping himself out of his daze. He was seriously going to stab himself if he kept acting like this.

After the feelings of lust settled down Markus focused on Thalia again, this time he looked at only the way she moved the weapon.

He was to guess she would probably be better at using the spear than any other demigod around. He hadn't really faced many spear fighters before, but Markus could honestly say Thalia was the best spear using demigod he knew. It was a shame, since he wanted to ask her for help in using a spear, but he doubted that she would help, since she was acting bitchy when around him.

He was mesmerized as she trained. He saw that she must've trained for years using the spear. Markus could respect that.

He didn't want to interrupt, but he couldn't exactly train with her here. And he wasn't going to leave, since he needed to train.

Thalia eventually grew too tired to train as she turned her spear back into a can of mace and sat down on the Fist of Zeus rubbing the sweat off her body. She looked up at the sky and sighed as suddenly her stomach grumbled in hunger.

Wanting to at least get on her good side so that he could train in peace, Markus zoomed to the mess hall and picked up some barbecue and two drinks and sped down to the forest in less than three seconds. Yes, he was that fast.

"Hungry?" Markus called out, startling Thalia. When she saw that it was him, she scowled.

"Henderson. What do you want?" she asked gruffly.

Markus sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. "And here I thought that you wanted food," he said wistfully, showcasing the barbecue and drinks in his hand. Thalia stared hungrily at the barbecue. This was followed by her stomach grumbling loudly.

She growled to herself. "Fine," she bit out.

Smirking, Markus stepped forward and sat next to her, offering her a piece of barbecue. She took it greedily and wolfed it down greedily. She must've been training for a while. She took the offered drink and gulped it all down.

She smiled in satisfaction, now a little full. Then she blinked, seeing her piece finished. "Uh, do you have any-" Thalia started, now more hungry. She was interrupted by Markus speeding to the mess hall at super speed and reappearing near her, holding out several drinks and more plates with food. "-more?" she finished a little dumbly, shocked. Then she looked at the food, and then to him. "How the hell do you have super speed? You're a son of Poseidon! I thought speed was Hermes' domain!"

Markus shrugged. "Magic," he lied casually.

Thalia frowned. "Magic is bullshit."

"You have no right to talk about bullshit when you have a shield that people literally can't look at. Who has that?"

"It's perfectly fine!"

"Bullshit! It's a hax and you know it!"

Thalia smirked at his annoyed expression, before digging into the food. Markus joined in soon after.

As they ate, they talked. "So, training hard?" Markus asked.

"None of your business, jackass," Thalia said, looking angry.

"No need for name calling, princess. Just asking."

"Why? So you can rub it into my face?" she retorted with a sneer.

"Okay, what the fuck is your problem with me?" Markus asked, annoyed. "It was a little funny for a few days but now it's annoying. What have I done to you?!"

Thalia huffed and turned her head to the side. "None of your business."

"I think it is my business when you act as if I killed your puppy! What is your problem with me?!"

"It's because I'm jealous, alright?!" Thalia retorted back in his face. Calming down, Thalia sighed a defeated sigh. "I'm... I'm jealous of you."

Markus looked shocked. "Jealous? Of me?" He looked confused now. "What exactly do I have that you don't?"

"You..." Thalia looked embarrassed. "Don't make me talk about it aloud!"

"Oh no, princess. You're the one who's apparently jealous of me. So spill."

She looked resentful, but relented. "I'm jealous of how strong you are, okay? I'm jealous that a kid almost two years younger than me is stronger than me, the daughter of Zeus."

Markus looked at her, not laughing at her. This was serious to her, so he wasn't going to be inconsiderate. As he looked at her, he noticed that she smelled like ozone and pine wood. He filed that away for later. "Just because you're the daughter of Zeus, doesn't make you automatically strong."

Thalia scoffed. "So says the son of one of the Big Three."

"My dad has nothing to do with my strength," he said, annoyed. All his effort, all his gains for power. That was all him. His dad had jack shit on what he'd done. "I may be stronger than most demigods in terms of power, but I'm at the level I'm at due to training and my drive. I could be a child of Aphrodite and still be considered the best at camp with how I am now, parent aside. My dad has nothing to do with my strength. It's better being the strongest demigod child of a minor god than be the weakest child of the Big Three, simply because I relied on my powers alone."

Thalia scoffed again. "Yeah? Well, I'm the daughter of Zeus, and that hasn't worked out for me."

"Let me ask you something," Markus said to her. "If you hadn't trained the way you did just now, if you'd simply relied on your demigod powers and with no training or drive, do you think you'd be at the level that you're at now?"

"I-" Thatlia blinked, thinking on it. "No, I wouldn't."

"Exactly. Our parents don't matter. Katie Gardiner, a daughter of Demeter, who's considered a meek and pacifist goddess, is one of the strongest demigods I know in terms of power at this camp. And that was true training. My point is, it's the drive to me that matters, not the power."

Thalia mulled over what he said, thinking. Then she asked, "What is your drive?"

"To become the strongest and to gain enough power to protect myself and those I love," Markus said firmly. "To do that, I'll become the most powerful demigod ever, and surpass those in the past, present and future."

Thalia looked stunned at his response. She didn't think that was the reason that he was training so hard. She just thought the he did it to show off and act arrogant, but he did it to protect himself and those he cared about. That was an admirable goal, if a bit selfish. But Thalia didn't judge him.

"So why are you training to get strong?" Markus asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Is it to escape the prophecy?"

"Prophecy?" Thalia's ears perked at that. "What prophecy?"

Markus stared at her in shock. S-she couldn't possibly not know of the prophecy. Right? Chiron had to at least have mentioned it to her. "You know? The prophecy that pertains a child of the Big Three?"

Thalia blinked in shock, surprise and confusion. "Chiron and Mr. D mentioned that, but didn't expand on it. What was the prophecy?"

Markus looked with wide eyes. No. It wasn't possible. Annabeth had to have told her, if not Chiron. She was Thalia's best friend. She had to.

Markus glared, but not at Thalia. He was angry, no furious. They were making the same mistake with him. This was her damn prophecy and she didn't even know about it?!

Markus breathed through his nose, trying to calm down. His anger was reaching new heights but he needed to calm down. It wouldn't do anyone good if he were to freak out.

"Markus?" Thalia called out, getting a bit curious and nervous. "What's the prophecy? Do you know it?"

"Yes, I know it," Markus answered her. "The surprising thing is that you don't. It goes like this: _A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds. And see the world in endless sleep, a hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze."_

Thalia was wide-eyed at what he revealed. Markus guessed that it was probably the same expression he had when he found out about the prophecy: feeling shocked and betrayed. "I... I-I'm going to die?" Thalia whispered, a tear coming into her ear.

"Thalia-"

"So that's it? All that effort from saving me from dying, and I realise that I'm fated to die anyway, so it doesn't matter anyway." Now Thalia was raising her voice. She was angry, rightfully so. And she was also sad. She looked to the sky and yelled, "So was it not enough?! Dealing with my mother, losing Jason, living on the streets, dying and becoming a tree! That wasn't enough?! Now I'm doomed to die?! What more do you want from me?!"

The sky boomed with thunder. Lightning flashed and streaked across the sky. Markus wasn't sure whether it was Zeus' or Thalia's doing. Judging by how angry she was, he guessed it was Thalia.

"Thalia," Markus said quietly, reaching to comfort her, but she stood up, stepping away from him.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?!" Thalia yelled out, her body streaking with lightning. "Was I such a nuisance to you?! Were you so eager to get the glory in the end that you-"

"Do not _dare_ finish that sentence," Markus said lowly, standing up to meet her, ignoring the flickering lightning as it had no effect on him. Well, not too much of an effect. "You think I wanted this? For you to be bound by a fucking prophecy? News flash: I was in your place before. I know how you're feeling. I know how it felt to feel trapped under the prophecy, to have no escape except your death. I was in your shoes, thinking the exact same thing you are now."

Thalia's eyes widened. "Then why-"

"I didn't tell you because I assumed that Annabeth or Chiron would've told you, but it looks like they're making the same mistake as with me," Markus said bitterly. And he thought they were smart. If it didn't work the first time, why would it work the second time?

"Annabeth knew? But why didn't she tell me?" Thalia was shocked. To think that the person that she deemed as a little sister kept something like this from her...

"Because she thought that she was protecting you," Markus replied angrily. "Her heart's in the right place, but she's being stupid about how to go about it." Markus looked up to Thalia, only to see her breathing in sharply. He realised that she was having a sort of panic attack. Or hyperventilating. It was perfectly understandable with what she just learnt.

The sky reflected her mood. There were odd bits of lightning flashes and thunder sounds. If this wasn't solved, there was a good chance of a storm coming their way. Stepping forward, he put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him directly.

"Hey," he said softly. "Look at me. Thalia, look. Look - I said - will you look at me?!" he snapped at the end, seeing her turning her head all the time. He grabbed her face and made her look him in the eyes. "Listen. I understand perfectly how you're feeling. I was in your place before. I knew how choked you feel, and how you feel there's no escape from the prophecy. I get that. I understand that. But you aren't alone, ya hear? I-I'm... here for you." He said that part uncertainly because he wasn't used to wanting to save someone. Before, he was happy that someone had taken his place as the child of prophecy. Now, he felt sadness for her. He couldn't stand to see her feeling betrayed by the ones who she believed in. As if learning about Luke wasn't enough. This could possibly break her and destroy any semblance of trust she would ever have to camp, or to anyone.

He didn't know why he felt so strongly about helping her, but planned to. That he promised. "Thalia, you are not alone. You have me, Percy, camp, the others. You won't face Kronos alone. You won't face the prophecy alone. We are with you. I am with you."

"How are you so sure?" Thalia asked in a whisper. Tears fell freely from her eyes now. "How can you be so sure that you'll be with me? My mother, Jason, Luke. They all left me. How are you so sure?!"

Markus smiled. He pressed his forehead against hers gently, leaning towards her. The smell of ozone and pine was stronger now. "Because I'm sure. You're my family, Thalia. As well as my friend. I will _burn_ the world to cinders to save you and anyone I cared about. So you know that I _will_ protect you from the prophecy. You put your trust in me, I put my trust in you. I won't ever leave you, Thalia. I'll be with you every step of the way. That's a promise."

Both didn't move from their spot for a few moments. And then Thalia stepped forward and hugged him. Nothing was said as she held onto him as if her life depended on it, and she cried. She wept into his shoulder. Markus just held her, rubbing her back softly as he comforted her, letting her cry and sob on his shoulder. He didn't mind how much she cried or wailed. He held onto her.

Markus didn't know how long they both stood there, but he continued holding onto her. He now knew what to do since this scene was similar to how he comforted Clarisse after dealing with Ares. Thalia's cries turned to sniffles. And then silence. Markus knew how much this meant to her. Like Clarisse, Thalia didn't seem the type to show any weakness. To expose herself to him must've been big for her.

After a while, Thalia rose from his shoulder, furiously wiping at her eyes to get rid of the tears. Markus smiled seeing this.

"Thank you, Markus," she said after a moment. Markus smiled at that.

"No problem, cuz," he smiled, getting her to smile too. She slowly removed herself from his side, traces of her tears gone. "Sorry about your shirt."

"S'okay," Markus shrugged. This feeling was nice.

"So, uh... about the prophecy..." she said after a moment. Markus nodded, indicating for her to continue.

"It said. _A single choice shall end_ his _days,"_ Thalia recited thoughtfully. "And since I'm a girl..."

"Debatable, but okay," Markus muttered jokingly, getting a punch from Thalia while he chuckled.

"Anyways, since it said 'his', it indicated that the child of the Big Three would be a boy. So it wouldn't necessarily be me." She said this part hopefully.

Markus sighed. She had a point. "Look Thalia. It could be you or possibly me. Trying to wrap your head around it and deciphering it is just going to make you go insane. Prophecies are confusing as fuck. Trust me, I tried. But if it _is_ me, even though I hope against all odds, you'll have my back, right?"

"Absolutely," Thalia said firmly, making Markus smile. "You have my back, and I got yours."

"Thanks," Markus said, smiling. "Uh, you mind helping me in spear wielding? I could use the help."

"You just know exactly how to ruin a mood, Barnacle Brain," Thalia muttered sarcastically.

"One of my many talents," Markus stated proudly.

Thalia scoffed. "Whatever. You are pretty shitty with dealing with a spear."

"And you can't aim for shit with lightning," Markus retorted cheekily.

"Bastard!" Thalia yelled out, trying to skewer him with her spear, with him dodging each time with super speed. But through it all, both of them were smiling at each other.

 **XXX**

Markus was busy spear fighting with Thalia in the arena, him using a practice spear while she used her regular spear.

Since they're little heart-to-heart conversation the day before, they seemed to be able to converse with each other easily. The others were shocked at this. Since they met, the two have been at each others throats. Or Thalia wanting to bite his head off. So to see them actually talking with one another, and not fighting with ill intent was... quite a surprise.

Though Markus and Thalia just ignored them. Since spending time with her, Markus had learned things about Thalia, things that she wouldn't tell anyone else. One, she like eating burgers. Specifically cheese burgers. That was nothing really surprising, since he loved pizza himself. Though they did get into arguments as to which food was better. Which led to spars, to shouting matches, though they had no ill intent. Two, she was deathly afraid of heights. At this, Markus admitted that he broke down in laughter and teased her about this. This caused her to launch a bolt of lightning at him in anger. He survived, thanks to his rather strong lightning affinity, but it wasn't fun. He was so confused as to why the daughter of Zeus, the sky god, was afraid of heights. He found this out when he questioned why she never flew, being the daughter of Zeus. She trusted to reveal it to him in secret.

He had no plausible, logical reason why she was afraid of heights, but Thalia was deathly afraid of them. And having a fear was reasonable, even though hers wasn't. So he respected her fear and never told anyone about it, to which she was thankful. Though he did plan to help her overcome her fear.

And three, he discussed with her what her fatal flaw could be, and Markus deduced that it was power lust. While she seemed ashamed of it, Markus told her that it was fine. He told her that his fatal flaws were anger and greed, and he usually followed his greed. He explained to Thalia that there was no shame in falling prey to her fatal flaw, but you had to control it and not let it control you. Markus admitted that he was kind of a hypocrite, but he still advised her about it. Thalia suddenly felt a lot better about her flaw and was trying to overcome it, but with minimal progress.

Markus noticed that the two of them were very similar: both lost their mothers (though Markus loved his mother while Thalia hated hers, for reasons she wouldn't share yet) and ended up living on the streets. Both were children of the Big Three and knew the burdens that came with that. Both would protect their friends and the ones that they loved. And both had similar fatal flaws. They were perfect for each other. Maybe that was why they bonded so well.

As both fought in the arena, they were caked in sweat. Markus didn't mind, though he was extremely thankful for this. He could see Thalia's sweaty form as her T-shirt clung to her frame as she breathed in deeply, and absolutely loved the form of her breasts. While he could somewhat control his increased libido, he still went crazy around Thalia, whom he'd been spending the day with.

Thalia disarmed him with her spear and held him at spear point. "Yield?" she said smugly, finally happy that she was beating him at something.

Markus rolled his eyes, phasing his body and passing through her spear and her, getting her to jump in shock. "I hate it when you do that," Thalia said, annoyed. Markus smirked behind her, having picked up his spear through his phasing and collecting it.

"It's called playing to your strengths," Markus muttered, smirking.

"You just can't beat me in a spear fight," Thalia retorted back.

"True," Markus agreed. "You are better than me at wielding a long, pointy spear. Truly, you are the best at using long sharp objects to pierce your enemy, making them moan in pleasure or pain, depending on how you use it." Markus had to avoid her trying to take his head off in embarrassment while he kept on laughing.

"Perv," Thalia muttered with a blush on her face.

"You're the one who stated that I fall short of you using your long and pointy-" Markus had to vibrate his body to phase from her attack that could've possibly skewered him. The spear passed through his body. "-spear. Honestly, Thalia. You have such a dirty imagination."

"One more word. I dare you," Thalia threatened, her body sparkling with electricity.

"I'm just stating the truth. Although you can't beat me when I use my long, thick, heavy-" Markus had to dodge to the side to avoid her trying to pierce him. He cackled as she tried chasing him across the arena and camp.

"Henderson! Come back and take your punishment like a man!" Thalia yelled in fury.

"But you already know I'm a man. In battle, I always showcase my sharp and pointy-" Markus ducked as he dodged her spear that was thrown at him. "-sword! Damn, woman. Calm your tits!"

"I'm going to kill you!" she screamed as he just cackled.

 **XXX**

Markus was in the sword arena, training with Percy in sword skills. Percy wielded Riptide while Markus wielded a new sword that Beckendorf created for him, with his guidance, of course. It was called Red Queen, ripped straight from Devil May Cry 4 **(A.N. - Again, I know that during this time period, the game hasn't come out yet, but screw it. Just imagine that it does)**. It had the same abilities as the one that it was based off.

When Beckendorf made this, he questioned why he or another Hephaestus child couldn't use this, since it had the fire-revving ability. Markus replied by saying that he asked for it first and and had the rights to wielding it. While Beckendorf was saddened, Markus made up for it by helping him forge the Wrath Hammer from the Mortal Kombat games. Beck was pretty happy about that.

As the two brothers fought, they had an audience. Katie, Annabeth and Thalia, along with other demigods who came to watch, watched the spar with rapt attention. Though Thalia was standing far away from Annabeth, while Annabeth looked sad.

When Thalia confronted Annabeth about the prophecy, it was with shock and sadness that the daughter of Athena confessed the truth. Since then, Thalia didn't want anything to do with her. This made Annabeth almost break down in tears. When she tried to explain why, Thalia just ignored her. To have the girl who was practically a big sister to her want nothing to do with her, it slightly broke her heart. Now both Markus and Thalia were angry at her.

"It looks like Percy's getting better at using a sword," Katie commented as she saw both brothers clash. Percy kept on trying to either overpower or disarm Markus, but Markus just kept on blocking.

"Shouldn't Percy be winning, since Markus has a bigger sword?" Pollux asked, watching in the crowd. Annabeth shook her head, watching the fight with a critical eye.

"No. While the size of the sword would normally weigh someone down, Markus seems to wield it with no problem," Annabeth explained as Markus kept on hitting Riptide near the hilt with his sword.

It was quite a sight. Both brothers wielded their weapons with grace, finesse and ease. Percy was dedicated to training with Chiron in swordsmanship while Markus continued training in spars and self training. While both were natural swordsman, Markus had somewhat of a headstart due to his early training as well as experience in kendo. While Percy was closing the gap quickly, Markus continued training, so the gap was still quite thin.

Both sons of Poseidon got their swords locked, trying to overpower the other. While Markus could easily do this with his super strength, he wanted to see how far Percy had come. So he limited his strength to roughly normal but still above average.

He smirked as the two continued clashing. "Give up?" he questioned with a smirk as Percy gritted his teeth.

"Never!" he grunted, trying to throw the balance of the two off. The problem was the larger sword. It was much heavier and longer than Riptide, so Percy was having difficulty.

Smirking, Markus disengaged from the struggle, almost throwing Percy off balance due to the sudden loss of balance. Markus stepped back and performed a Stinger **(A.N. - During fights, I'll sometimes use moves that are in popular media, e.g. anime, video games, TV shows, etc)**. Percy quickly drew back Riptide to block, but almost lost his grip on his weapon due to the heavy blow. Markus followed up with a quick swing that Percy immediately blocked, but was left open to the quick slice that Markus dealt by swinging Red Queen at a surprising speed for such a heavy weapon. The cut was made at his shoulder, and Percy grunted at the wound.

Markus didn't stop to taunt or chat. He kept at it with wild but controlled wide overhead swings that Percy almost failed to defend against numerous times. This resulted in Percy getting large cuts on his forearms. The crowd looked worried, but still watched as Percy was getting hit almost repeatedly. He was putting up a good fight but still got injured.

Markus finished the combo by grabbing Red Queen by the hilt with both hands and drove the tip of the blade at Riptide's hilt, knocking it out of Percy's hands and causing it to skid across the floor. Holding the blade in both hands, Markus held the tip against Percy's undefended chest, signalling the end of the duel.

"Yield?" Markus asked, no taunting needed. Percy grit his teeth, but relented. "I yield."

Markus removed Red Queen from his brother's chest and helped Percy up. "You did good. You're getting better."

"Yeah," Percy muttered. He scowled at the blade in his brother's hand. "Though it wasn't really a fair fight since you had that sword."

Markus scoffed. "Fair? You had a blade that is perfect for you while I had a heavier one. If anything, you had the advantage. Hell, this is my first time actually wielding the blade, so I don't want to hear you bitching. Now stop being emo and get better." Markus manipulated the water vapour in the air and produced large droplets of water. He directed them on top of Percy, dropping them and allowing him to heal his cuts and wounds.

"Thanks," Percy said, picking up Riptide.

"No problem," Markus replied. "And remember, if you need help, come to me. I'm not going to push you away. No shame in asking for help."

"Kind of hypocritical coming from you," Percy muttered, getting Markus to scowl. "But thanks."

Markus nodded. Shaking hands, both went to the crowd, meeting the others. Most congratulated both of them on the fight. Thalia and Katie met Markus, smiling. He smiled at them both while ignoring Annabeth. After remembering something, Markus sped off, saying goodbye to the others.

He sped off to the central hearth, meeting the one who he wanted to meet. "Hello, Aunty Hestia," Markus greeted, smiling at the goddess in her child form. After contemplating on what to call her, Markus decided to call her 'Aunty', since she was his aunt. Hestia liked the name very much.

"Hello, nephew," Hestia said brightly, smiling.

Markus had taken to visiting Hestia almost every day since he'd spoken to her. To him, she was exactly how a typical aunt acted: caring, helpful, someone you could talk to when in need, etc. She was also wise in what to tell him and how to go about things. Seriously, Hestia was awesome. And to think she was ignored by everyone in Olympus. They're were idiots.

But another reason that she was produced a plate of pizza for him as well as a couple of drinks. It was an ability she had as the goddess of the hearth. She could produce home-cooked meals that anyone thought of. Markus promptly hugged her because of this and proclaimed her as the best goddess ever.

"How are you?" Markus asked.

"I am fine. I always tend to the hearth," Hestia responded.

"Don't you have anything else to do, aunty?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. Hestia simply smiled.

"No. My job is simple, but it is something I enjoy. That is all I need to do."

Markus shrugged. If she enjoyed tending to the hearth, that was fine. She was happy, and that is all that matters.

"May I advise you on something, nephew?" Hestia asked, peering into his eyes with her fiery ones. Markus nodded, waiting to hear her question.

"Why is it that you still hold grudges against the daughters of Athena and Aphrodite?" she asked. Markus' eyes went wide at that. He wasn't expecting that. He didn't question as to how she knew about that. She was never going to tell him about things like that.

"I... I felt betrayed by them," Markus answered simply. "I felt angry at the fact that... one of them was a traitor while the other kept a secret that practically determined my life."

"Are you sure that it is not your anger speaking for you?" Hestia asked knowingly. "Do not let your anger cloud your judgement, nephew."

"How else am I supposed to feel, then?" Markus asked angrily. "Should I feel happy? Should I forgive them so easily?!"

"I am not saying that you shouldn't feel betrayed," Hestia said, frowning. "What I _am_ saying is that you shouldn't hold a grudge. You will soon find that it will hurt both you and your friends."

Markus frowned. "Then let me ask you something, aunty. Do you forgive the Olympians for the way they treated you since you stepped down?" It was a low blow, but Markus was annoyed that he was told to forgive so easily. This wasn't something that he was going to forget so easily.

"Yes," Hestia answered instantly, making Markus gape in shock. She forgave her family? After everything they did to her?

"But why?" Markus asked incredulously. "Why are you so willing to forgive them?"

"Because, as you said, they are my family," Hestia answered with a smile. Markus' eyes were wide with shock. "I agree that they have treated me very unpleasantly, but I cannot say the same for all of them. Your father, Demeter and Hades are my only siblings that do talk and welcome me."

"Then what about-" Markus was about to ask, but Hestia interrupted.

"Zeus and Hera do not treat me like family, for their own reasons," Hestia agreed. "But that does not mean I hate them. I still love and care for them. Because they are my family. And I will continue loving them."

"But why?" Markus asked, confused. "Why are you so eager to forgive?"

Hestia smiled. "Forgiveness is a powerful thing, nephew. It could help unite kingdoms and strengthen allies. It is not an easy thing to accept, but the benefits are worthwhile. Trust me on this. Your father and Hades are known for their anger and grudges. It is something that has been passed down through my family. But I am the one known for my forgiveness. I pray that you do not fall prey to the same emotion."

Markus was silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Then how do I forgive Annabeth and Silena?"

"The daughter of Athena hid the truth from you because she cared about you," Hestia said. "While she may not have gone about it the right way, she still did it because she cared. Try to see it from her perspective. As for the daughter of Aphrodite, she is regretful and heartbroken. She has suffered the consequences of your anger as well as others. Please do not keep your anger directed at her for her actions. The past is the past. Do not cling to it relentlessly, or you may destroy yourself." She reached forward, touching Markus' shoulder. "Please," the goddess pleaded, her fiery eyes showing warmth and care. "Let go."

Markus was in turmoil inside. He had no reason to deny what Hestia was saying. She was wise. Wiser than him and probably any Olympian, even Athena. And he knew what she was talking about. But it was so hard. Fatal flaw aside, it was not so easy to forgive and forget everything that happened. And he wasn't one to forgive so easily. He couldn't! He can't!

But at the same time, he looked into Hestia's eyes, and he understood what she was saying. And he knew that she was right.

Licking his lips, Markus asked a final question. To cement his decision. "Do you hate Kronos for eating you and for all the things he has done?"

"No," Hestia answered instantly again. "I admit, I am disgusted and heavily disagree with what he has done. But hating family is not in my nature. I partially blame my domain for that, but again, it is who I am."

With a nod, Markus made his decision. "Thank you, Aunty Hestia," Markus thanked, smiling a little.

"You are welcome, nephew. I wish you well in your decision," Hestia smiled warmly.

Nodding, Markus stood up. He was about to go, but not before saying, "Oh, your cabin's nearly done. You can bless it afterwards. You'll enjoy it, promise." And with that, Markus grinned, before zipping off. Missing the large smile on Hestia's face.

Markus decided to head to the Aphrodite cabin first, to apologize to Silena. It was a hard thing to do internally, but Hestia's words kept ringing in his mind. And he trusted her.

With a sigh, Markus knocked on the cabin door. It took a few seconds, but the door opened to reveal a son of Aphrodite.

"Hey, is Silena here? I need to talk to her," Markus said.

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Why should I? You were the one that caused her to be like this. I'm not going to let you hurt her again!"

Markus growled, his Uruz rune lighting up. He couldn't fault the guy for wanting to protect his sibling, but he was annoyed that this guy was stopping him. He was going to knock this guy out of the way when another child of Aphrodite, this time a girl, stepped in and put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Michael," the girl said gently. "Let him in. I can tell that he's here to help Silena."

Michael frowned, but finally relented. He glared at Markus, before stepping aside. Nodding in thanks to the girl, Markus was about to enter, but the girl spoke. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but please. Help her. She's-"

Markus interrupted her. "I will. Don't worry."

Stepping fully inside, Markus ignored the heavy smell of perfume and the stench of pink. He saw, in one of the cabin beds, Silena wrapped up in her blankets. Seeing her face, Markus almost winced. He saw that her eyes were almost fully red and very puffy from crying. Tear streaks were lined on her cheeks. Her previous silky black hair was a mess, and she kept shaking, indicating that she was still crying slightly.

While he was furious at her before, the sight of her made Markus' heart ache. After Hestia's words, as well as Silena's state, he couldn't find it within himself to hate her completely anymore.

Both Michael and his sister stepped out of the cabin, giving the two some privacy.

There was no one else in the cabin. It was just the two of them.

Silena sat up on her bed to look at Markus, but she was still sobbing. Even under her bloodshot eyes, he could tell that she had a pleading look in her eyes, still yearning for him to forgive her.

Making up his mind, Markus spoke before she could. "I'm sorry." Her eyes widened. He could see a slight amount of hope in her eyes. And Markus' runes now activated, at the worst possible time. His 'virility' kicked in to high gear, making Markus look in slight lust at Silena's form. Even in her messy state, Markus still was able to see her that her camp shirt constricted against her body very well. Despite not wanting it to kick in, a part of Markus' brain took note of the fact that her figure was the most developed of the girl's that he'd seen. Large breasts that he could fit his hands in and squeeze properly, Markus didn't know the size but he didn't care, wide hips, slim waist, and long legs-

Markus bit the inside of his cheek harshly to snap himself out of his state. He then focused on apologizing to her. "I know that you regretted what you did before. I could tell. And..." Taking a deep breath, Markus continued. "While I'm still angry at you, I know that it wasn't fully your fault. I'm sorry for how I acted towards you."

"No, it's not your fault," Silena croaked. Clearing her throat to make her voice firmer, she continued. "I was the one who was easily convinced. I betrayed camp. I-I was the one who sold out the camp. I'm-I'm pathetic. So stupid. So useless-"

Not wanting to hear her self-loathing, Markus quickly moved and embraced her. He felt her freeze up under his touch, but Markus didn't let go. "Shhh. It's okay. I forgive you, okay? It's fine."

After a moment, Silena didn't say anything. Then, seeing her best friend forgive her for being a traitor, broke down in tears and embraced him back. Silena sobbed and cried loudly as she kept repeating, "I'm sorry", "I'm sorry", over and over. Markus just kept on rubbing her back and whispered back to her in response to each sentence. "It's okay", "It's okay."

As he held her shaking form, Markus was wondering how he kept on comforting females. First Clarisse, then Thalia and now Silena. And when the hell did he get so good at it? Sighing, Markus pushed it out of her mind as he kept comforting his friend. After what felt like an hour, Markus pushed back gently to look at her. She still had tears, but there were tears of happiness mixed with self-loathing.

Markus smiled, getting her to smile lightly too. She looked much more beautiful when she was smiling.

Markus blinked. Okay, he needed to get these runes under control. Suddenly, a wave of desire washed over him as he held onto Silena. He could feel her body pressed up against him, and he felt hot. Like, really hot. A stirring in his groin followed after, getting him to groan lightly.

"Markus?" Blinking back tears, Silena was concerned for him, wondering what was wrong. "Are you okay? What-" But she was interrupted as Markus. suddenly filled with large amounts of lust, desire and want, pressed forward and kissed her straight on the lips.

 **And I am finished. Long chapter, this one. And ended on a potential make-out session. Yippee.**

 **So, saw the results of Markus' ritual. The good and the bad. For the good, he's extremely powerful now, almost OP. And he's going to continue growing more OP as the story progresses.**

 **As for the bad, well... if you think about it, it's not really bad. The 'virility' attribute that he included in his ritual is rearing it's head, making him experience a second puberty which is more powerful than a normal one. That lucky/poor bastard.**

 **His increased lust and libido is going to play a good part in the story. Makes forming the harem much faster. And he'll be very explicit and forward about it.**

 **Lemons and a lot of romance will be written in the future, but heads up. They might be poorly written. I'm not good on both departments. So hopefully, given enough time, they'll be good. Emphasis on hopefully.**

 **So Markus and Thalia are much closer now. The fact about finding out about the prophecy for Thalia was something that I definitely wanted to include, since I wasn't sure she was even aware of it in canon.**

 **Now, answering reviews:**

 **For one of the Guest reviewers, the topic of Phoenix Ashes is creative and very interesting. So I can possibly add it. Very good idea, by the way. And immortality or godhood as a topic that I might consider.**

 **Another Guest reviewer. Thank you for the praise for the chapter. And, as it's seen in this chapter, he's already noticed the jealousy and basically tell everyone to get better because envy won't do anything for you.**

 **Now, without further ado, I wish you all reading a goodbye. For now.**

 **Read and Review!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33:**

As Markus kissed Silena, he was well aware of the embarrassment, mortification and impulsiveness of his decision. Funnily enough, he couldn't find himself caring. He didn't know if it was because of his runes, or his own desire, but he didn't regret his choice to kiss her. He admitted that he had a crush on her since he first met her, but Markus chalked that up to teenage hormones acting up around a pretty girl.

Now, though, after all his experiences with her - excluding him being angry at her - he found himself falling for the daughter of Aphrodite. He never voiced his feelings largely due to how confused he felt. He couldn't deny having feelings for multiple girls, which he knew personally wasn't right.

Markus decided to put his dilemma to the side and continue kissing Silena. From her face, she seemed shocked. And rightfully so. Markus was thankful for this until he was pushed back slightly from Silena, who gathered enough of her wits to focus. "Markus, w-why did you..." Silena tried to ask, but failed due to her blushing and stuttering in a cross between embarrassment, shock and nervousness. But Markus didn't find himself caring. His libido was out of control, and all his trying to control it vanished, leaving only unrestrained lust.

Making her squeak from him grabbing her shoulders, he pushed forward again, connecting their lips again and this time being a little rough about it. She tried to fight back but it was futile. After resisting for a moment, Silena gave into her desire and slowly returned the kiss. All thoughts about what had happened a few minutes ago left her mind, replaced by her wanting to kiss him. She was hesitant, but decided to give in.

Markus was no expert on kissing, but he gave into his instincts. His tongue darted forward inside Silena's mouth, licking and probing at every crevice inside. The daughter of Aphrodite moaned as Markus' tongue and her tongue met. Their hands didn't stay idle, however. Both of their lusts were at a high, causing them to grope and paw at each other. Markus' hands went to her breasts that he groped through her shirt. He cupped each one in his hand and squeezed, making Silena moan in pleasure and Markus to grin mentally. Silena's hands went from his shoulders, then slowly slid to his midsection, feeling his abs against his own shirt.

Wanting more, Markus pushed her down onto her bed, startling her slightly. This gave him enough time to straddle her, connecting their bodies together. Markus could feel his dick connect with her nether regions through their clothes. He leaned down to instigate their kiss again.

Silena's hands slipped themselves inside his pants, rubbing against his covered groin. Not wanting to be the only one receiving pleasure, Markus slipped his hands under her shirt, reaching for her bra-clad breasts and pawed at them without stop.

But before they could continue, they were interrupted by the door of the cabin opening. "Hey, Silena, are you alright? Did that asshole do any-" Michael asked as he opened the door. Though he stopped as he saw the scene before him. He saw his sister making out with the 'asshole' in question, and it looked like they were about to do more.

"Get out!" both Markus and Silena yelled at the son of Aphrodite with red faces, one embarrassed and the other furious. Michael promptly made his way out quickly, slamming the door behind him in fright.

Having been interrupted from their session, Markus growled at the feeling of blue balls. It was definitely _not_ a pleasant feeling. Markus felt like going out and killing Michael, but he refrained. Now that his haze of lust was cleared, he could fully concentrate on what happened. Taking a look at Silena, he could see that her shirt was half-way off. Her lips were swollen, and he could see the black lace that she was wearing.

A wave of desire overcame him, but this time he managed to push it away this time. While he could see the desire in her eyes too, but he could see it clear slightly. Sighing, Markus spoke.

"I'm sorry about that," Markus apologized. "I... I never meant to... to do that. I-"

"Don't apologize," Silena interrupted. She smiled, and Markus was reminded about how beautiful she was. "I... didn't expect that. But it was good. Very good."

"Yeah," Markus nodded, grinning slightly.

"So what does that make us?" she asked nervously. Markus couldn't blame her. He didn't know where that left them. They clearly couldn't go back to being normal friends. So... boyfriend and girlfriend? That was definitely likely, but Markus still had feelings for other girls. Something that he was guilty about but wasn't willing to let go. And he couldn't ignore the offer of the two of them together. It'd be very stupid and wouldn't get anywhere. And he did feel strongly for her. Not on the level of love, but... beyond crush-level.

Sighing, he leaned forward, their foreheads touching. "I honestly don't know. But I like you. And I don't plan on letting you go." Before she could say anything, he kissed her, lightly this time. And she responded back. When they separated, they ended up curling up with each other in her bed, Markus not willing to leave. This was because he was both lazy and unwilling to escape Silena's embrace. And she didn't tell him off. They both ended up resting there, both of them emotionally drained and tired. The two ended up sleeping with huge smiles on their faces.

 **XXX**

As Markus woke up, it took his groggy mind a while to wake up fully. So used to sleeping in his cabin, he was surprised about waking up with another body next to him. And then the events of last night swam into his head, and he remembered what happened. Him forgiving Silena, the wave of desire, the kissing, the groping... Markus sighed as it all came back to him.

He felt the body next to him move slightly, and he turned his head to see Silena rubbing her eyes to wake up. Even waking up, with how messy she looked, she still looked beautiful. Markus smiled at the sight.

"Morning," he greeted silently, making Silena's eye drift towards him. Then she smiled.

"Morning," she whispered back, leaning forward and kissing his forehead. Markus responded by pecking her lips lightly, making her giggle silently. Markus felt a rush of giddiness overcome him, and it wasn't due to the runes. Was this how it felt like? Having a... well, potential girlfriend? Markus never imagined it. Simply because the scenario never occurred to him. It had always been him that he looked out for mainly. He never thought about leaning onto someone, having to rely on someone. It had always been him that he relied on, him that others relied on to be strong. Finding someone else to lean on was... a bit odd, but not unwelcome.

Markus never thought about his future that much. He didn't focus on if he ever lived long enough to reach adulthood, which was depressing. He never thought about getting a girlfriend, marrying, having kids... the thought never entered his head. It had always been about himself, his family, and power. But now, with him lying in bed with Silena, it made him feel happy, a little at peace. He now had something to fight for personally, something to look forward to.

And he would've enjoyed this feeling, if it weren't for the fact that his heart ached slightly. His mind still drifted to Annabeth - who, even though he hadn't forgave yet, still felt attachment to - Katie and possibly Thalia. Why, why, why was his heart so confusing? Why couldn't he be content with staying with Silena? Why was his heart yearning for different girls when he had a perfect girl with him right now? Of course, Markus knew the answer, and he hated it. His greed. He wasn't content with just one girl he liked. He was too selfish to let them go. He wanted them all. Markus sighed. Sometimes, at times like this, he really hated his fatal flaw.

"Markus?" Markus blinked as his name was called. He looked to Silena, who was pouting. "You were deep in thought again, weren't you?"

Markus blinked again. "I don't always do that."

"Yes, you do. Either when you go training, learn magic, think of new and ridiculous ideas, watch anime-"

"Okay, okay," Markus grumbled. "You're right."

Silena smirked. "Of course I am. Girls are always right."

"I call bullshit on that. Not all of you-"

"But you admit I'm right, don't you?" Silena asked, voice laden with charmspeak.

Markus' eye twitched as he fought against the charmspeak. While had no immunity to it, he spent enough time with Silena to notice it. So he was able to slightly resist it. His mouth moved to slowly agree, before he covered his mouth.

Silena playfully glared at him. "That's cheating."

Biting the inside of his cheek harshly, he retorted back. "And using charmspeak isn't?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied innocently, though Markus didn't buy the act for a second.

Though instead of arguing with her, he just chuckled to himself. She joined him too.

After a silent moment, Silena looked nervous. "M-markus? About... about what I did-"

"Shh," Markus interrupted, moving to kiss her slowly. When he released her, she looked like she was about to argue, but he just pecked her lips again. This continued for a while before Silena gave up. "Will you let me finish?"

"I told you," Markus said. "I already forgave you. It's water under the bridge. I don't agree with it, obviously, but I'm done being angry with you. I know you won't do it again. And that's all that matters." Bringing her close to his chest, Markus held her in comfort, like a teddy bear.

Sighing, Silena gave up. "Fine." Nuzzling into the crook of his neck, she made herself comfortable. After a moment, she spoke. "You do know it's against cabin rules for you to be here, right?"

"Fuck the rules," he responded dismissively. "Wanna sleep. Like it here. So I'll sleep."

Smiling knowingly, Silena drifted back to sleep. After a while, she spoke again. "Can you stop poking me with your thing?"

"Hades' soul-damned underwear, woman, let me sleep!"

 **XXX**

In the end, Markus eventually left the Aphrodite cabin, but not before giving Silena a big kiss before leaving. While this made her happy, this also made the other children of Aphrodite cheer in happiness. The reason was because they were happy that the two were finally together. Or at least kissing. One of them even stated that it was good that they could finally get rid of the awkward sexual tension between them, making both blush.

Fortunately, Markus was able to get to the Poseidon cabin by going invisible with his jacket and phasing through the walls of the Aphrodite cabin and other cabins until he reached his cabin. And no one noticed.

Not wanting to sleep, Markus just laid on his bed, thoughts swirling in his head. Many of them centered around Silena. Markus could admit, he did like the daughter of Aphrodite. She was beautiful, smart, down-to-earth, not afraid to speak her mind, empathetic, and different from the normal child of Aphrodite. The list went on. And he sort of knew that she felt the same way with him. And the giddiness of having a (maybe?) girlfriend made him want to run around camp and screaming his head off in joy. In fact, Markus felt like doing that right now.

For the first time in a while, he was happy. A good kind of happy. And he liked it. Maybe the runes actually helped him out for once.

Markus stood up, heading out of his cabin towards the mess hall, wanting to get some food. However, before he could do that, he was interrupted by an Iris-message appearing suddenly. Calling on the other side was Hecate, dressed in her usual Greek robes. She really needed to switch up her wardrobe.

Markus sighed. "Hecate," he greeted, not exactly eager to talk to the goddess. It wasn't that he hated her. it was just that he had a lot on his mind. And when she usually called, it was for a quest.

"Markus Henderson," Hecate spoke, her voice clear and baritone. "I have need of your services."

Shaking his head, Markus responded, "Okay, seriously. You call at the worst times." Ignoring the narrowing of her eyes, he continued. "So what do you need me to do this time, Hecate?"

"I want you to perform a somewhat dangerous quest for me: I need you to recover the fangs of Zerith."

Markus looked at the goddess for a moment, but she didn't elaborate. "You need to be more specific. First of all, I have no idea who Zerith is, or why you need a fang from this Zerith."

"Zerith is, to put it blunt, a Duke of Hell," Hecate said simply.

Markus blinked. Then blinked again. "Duke of Hell? You mean the Underworld?"

"No, I mean the actual hell, the Christian hell. Something that is considered very real."

Markus was actually a bit shocked. Hell, like hell hell, was real? At first he wasn't surprised, since he was used to the revelation of either a dangerous secret or another pantheon. But to know that hell was real? It was a bit of shock. "Hell is real? Does that mean that God, capital G, big guy in Heaven, is real?"

"Yes," Hecate answered simply. "Hell and Heaven are real, just as the Christian God is also real. The truth is not revealed to you demigods because Zeus, in all his arrogance, decreed it forbidden to discuss the topic, believing that Greek mythology should be more important than what he deems unnecessary."

Markus rolled his eyes. He wasn't surprised at another sign of Zeus' ego and arrogance at play. The fact could be considered a running joke on Olympus. But he decided to focus on the matter at hand. "So you want me to retrieve a fang of a demon from hell? I'm up for the challenge, but why do you need its fang?"

"Zerith is related to Astaroth, a Great Duke of Hell in demonology. So he is considered by many to be an all-powerful demon, but in reality that is not true. He can be defeated. As for his fang, a demonic fang from a demon as powerful as Zerith is bound to have magical properties. I would need it as a conduit for a ritual to ward off evil."

"You're the goddess of magic," Markus said. "Why would you need an ingredient for a ritual when you could do it without one?"

Hecate smiled lightly. "'Tis not that simple. I am the goddess of magic, true. But using my full powers for a simple ritual would not go well. It would be overpowered, and possibly destroyed with my godly power. So I would need to use mortal means to go about it. Besides, the ritual is very delicate. One slip up of power and it could have disastrous consequences."

Markus nodded, hearing all of this. So, slaying a demon and retrieving a fang? Sounded simple. But nothing ever was. Besides, while he had no fear of the quest itself, he didn't know exactly how powerful this demon was. It was descended from a Great Duke. Markus wasn't exactly knowledgeable on demonology, but he knew that the demon was stupidly overpowered. And he didn't want to die from a suicide mission.

"So, how exactly do I take down a demon from hell? Will light spells work? What about celestial bronze? And how do expect me to stand up against a powerful demon?" he asked.

Hecate narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. Her expression shocked Markus. He knew that he didn't say anything offensive, and he asked a valid question. So what was her problem? "I expect you to handle it because I know what you have done, Markus Henderson. I know you have performed a forbidden and branded your body with runes."

Markus flinched at her words. How did she know? He wasn't exactly discreet, but he still-

"I know because you are my disciple. And I am the goddess of magic. Sensing your state, I could tell that your magic has increased dramatically in a short amount of time. Even now, I can sense the ambient magic literally rolling off your skin from your runes." Hecate's eyes glowed with power, and Markus grew tense. "I am very disappointed in you, Markus. I thought you were able to control your greed, but it appears that I was wrong. You have fallen prey to your fatal flaw. You are weak."

"Weak?!" He felt a little guilty at her berating him, but her calling him weak? He refused to accept that! "I am not weak! That was the whole point of me doing the ritual! So I could become stronger much faster! Do you even know why I did the ritual?! Because I knew that against Kronos and his forces, we would be slaughtered. I performed the ritual so that I could gain more power-"

"You may be strong physically and magic-wise," Hecate interrupted coldly, "but mentally, you are weak. To fall so easily to your fatal flaw shows that you are weak in character. In spirit."

"If wanting to be strong to destroy Kronos and his forces and protect myself and my friends," Markus hissed, "then so be it. I'll be an absolute scumbag just to become the most powerful being in the world and crush Kronos. Wanting to protect those I hold dear is considered being weak? Being selfish? Then so be it."

"You are not doing it for others, you are doing it for yourself," Hecate accused. "Your selfish needs are motivating you. Not your care. Not your love. Just your anger and greed. You are doing all of this because you are a coward. You cannot stand on your two feet to face a problem. You hide behind false power just to bolster yourself and only yourself."

Glaring at the goddess for calling him a coward, Markus continued arguing. "You think you know me? You know nothing! I am selfish, no doubt, but I fight for my own needs, which include those I call friends and family. If I'm to become a coward, then I'll become the biggest coward that walked the face of the Earth. If false power is the only way to stand and face my enemies, then I'll accept it. Your words mean nothing, Hecate. I know what I want, and I will fight for that. You will _not_ tell me otherwise!"

Hecate glared at him heavily. Even if it was an Iris-message, he could feel the power behind her gaze, but Markus refused to back down. He was no hero. He just wanted to save himself and those he loved. Simple as that. He could receive a thousand curses and still have the same drive. He wouldn't change just because someone told him to. He was his own damn person with his own reasons.

"Fine," Hecate bit out. "If you want to continue walking the path of a fool and a coward, I won't stop you. You'll be damned on your own. Know that you ignored my warnings and fell to your own damnation."

"Noted," Markus sneered. "And since I'm risking my life to face a powerful demon, and am apparently a coward, I would like a reward that would equate to a coward's plight."

Hecate continued to look at him in distaste, but knew that he wouldn't budge. "What do you want?"

"I want a sort of thought-process spell," Markus requested. "I should be able to speed my thoughts equal to someone training for years. Essentially cutting training time in half. So I can train for learning spells and weapon training, which would take me years to learn, and learn them in a matter of days, if not weeks." This idea came from Naruto. Specifically, the Shadow Clone Technique. He read in the manga that Naruto could use his clones to basically chop training time in half by using his clones to learn the Rasenshuriken. It was a stupidly broken power that he immediately wanted. What better way to achieve this than with magic?

Hecate nodded stiffly for a moment. "I can create such a spell. It shall be done. The demon's hideout is in Boston. I trust that you will be able to locate it. The demon's presence can be sensed in central Boston. You won't miss it."

Markus nodded. "Okay. But I want the spell upfront, I know that you'll keep your word. In return," Markus spoke, seeing Hecate's eyes light up in fury, "I swear on the Styx that I will carry out the quest without question."

The sky outside thundered, signifying the oath.

Hecate calmed down seeing the oath. "That is acceptable," she said calmly. She clicked her fingers, and a scroll appeared in his hands. "Inside is the details to the thought-process spell you wanted. I will leave the naming to you. And light spells are very effective against demons from hell, as well as celestial bronze. Good luck." And with that, the Iris message faded.

Markus sighed, cradling his scroll. He knew it was not wise to pressure a goddess like that, but he didn't care. He was paranoid, and he had a right to be.

He walked across his cabin, getting his supplies. Not wanting to leave without the others knowing, Markus created three speed clones and quickly drew magic battery runes on them.

Pointing to one of the clones, he commanded, "You, go to Silena, Katie, Thalia, Percy and Beck that I'm on magic duty. Give Silena a goodbye kiss as well" He then pointed to the second clone, ignoring the big grin on the first clone's face and the looks of jealousy the others had. "You go to Annabeth and apologise for being an ass. Use those words. And if she cries, comfort her. You," he pointed to the third. "Give a note to Chiron saying I'm on a job and tell the Hephaestus cabin to keep working on the Hestia cabin. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" they all saluted mockingly.

"Now get out of here you sarcastic bastards!" With that, all of them sped out of the cabin, the original speeding towards the mess hall and packing tons of food, apologising to all the nymphs in a blur.

Then he sped out of camp, creating a sonic boom from the centre of camp, alerting almost all its residents.

As he ran, Markus was heading towards a local train station. He didn't know the exact way, so he planned to snoop around the controls for directions towards Boston. He could run the whole way. He was wearing his goggles and a helmet, the kind sports drivers wore. Maybe he should look into creating a speedster suit out of kinetic energy. It would look much cooler than what he was currently wearing.

As he reached the local train station, he promptly used the Mist to distract the guy at the counter and ordered him to tell him the quickest routes to Boston. He sluggishly responded that it was roughly north-east from here, about 220 miles. It would usually take a train 4-5 hours. He planned to get there in roughly half an hour, possibly less.

Leaving the station, Markus dashed in the direction, using the Rolex watch that was disguised as his shield from Tyson to check the time occasionally. He wasn't on a time-limit, but it was nice to know the time.

As he ran, he could feel the muscles in his legs working overtime as he used kinetic energy. With his ritual, he never really tested the full limits of his speed. Grinning, he applied more energy, creating another sonic boom. Markus now loved doing that. Made him look so much badass.

Wanting to keep himself occupied, Markus hummed the 'Super Sonic Racing' song aloud. Speaking of Sonic, he planned to purchase the Sonic the Hedgehog that came out this year. He'd seen the trailers and wanted to play the game. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

Then his mind went to the thoughts about the demon. He really had to stop being surprised at this kind of revelations. God and heaven and hell being real shouldn't have been a real shocker. But that did leave a lot of questions to be answered. Like how did some souls go to the underworld but others go to heaven or hell? He guessed that it was the belief system. He was born a Greek, so if he died, he'd go to Elysium, hopefully. A Shinto would probably go to the Shinigami or their version of hell or heaven. Hindus could go for reincarnation. Or was that Buddhists?

Shrugging, Markus put the thoughts out of his head, and instead focused on the task ahead. Thankfully, he learned quite a lot of light spells and developed his photokinesis quite well. And from what little he knew of actual demons, aside from manga, movies, TV shows, etc., he didn't planned to get cursed, or die so that his soul would be trapped, or other kind of nonsense that he knew. Maybe he should've read up on demonology before going on this quest.

Coming back to his senses, he quickly saw the sign post saying 'Welcome to Boston!' Sailing past it, Markus checked his watch and realised that he'd spent ten minutes running. That was probably a new record or something.

Heading into the city, Markus stopped running, skidding as he did so. Ignoring any mortals watching, he waved his hand, using the Mist to spread out broadly and make the mortals look away abruptly and walk off as normal.

Before he stretched out his senses, he opened his backpack, snacking on pieces of fruit and barbecue. Due to him running, he wore himself out a little. His body, with him being a demigod, was able to withstand the speeds that he ran at, but his metabolism was affected by his run. Meaning that his stomach demanded food due to the high speed run.

Scarfing down his food but still wanting more, Markus saved the remaining food in his backpack and went to a McDonalds to eat out. Walking to the counter, he ordered ten Chicken McLegends with bacon and salsa, fifteen Big Macs, fifteen packs of fries, three McCafe milkshakes and four large Cokes. He used the Mist to confuse the server and paid the amount, which totalled to $247.52 **(A.N. - Don't know how much that would all be, but roll with it)**.

Sitting at the table, he took out his green Nintendo DS and played Super Mario Bros to pass the time. He bought the game console on the internet along with his Xbox and Playstation. He took it with him from his apartment - which wasn't broken into, thank the gods - so that whenever he was on the run, he wouldn't miss his precious game time.

After ten minutes, several staff came to carry the food to his table. Thanking them, Markus smiled and dug into his food. Chowing down onto his Chicken Legends, devouring his Big Macs, and tossing his fries into his mouth, Markus ate like a pig, with no concern with how others looked at him. Several staff, as well as some customers, looked at him with awe, disgust and concern. Markus paid no attention to them. Several of them tried to record the whole thing. Markus planned to use the Mist on them later.

After five long minutes, he burped loudly, slurping his milkshakes and Cokes with content. That was good. He didn't even know he could eat that much. At least he could eat practically anything he wanted and not get fat.

Finished with his drinks, he waved his hand, using the Mist to control the mortals to delete everything that they saw. As he used the Mist, he felt some disturbance in the air. Not anything evil or interfering with the Mist, just... something. It was like the Mist, only of a different... flavour, was what Markus thought. Must have been a supernatural veil belonging to another pantheon.

Exiting the shop, Markus widened his magical senses as he walked briskly, passing monuments and buildings. He felt a divine aura around a statue that had - were those ducks? Another divine presence, which didn't belong to a god but more like a hidden place, that was roughly east of him. But no demonic presence. Markus figured that the presence would feel evil. And he was right. After walking for several minutes, he could feel a giant wave of bloodlust that felt inhuman. But it wasn't aimed at him.

Trying to locate the area, Markus applied a steady amount of magic to his eyes using his magic control. This had the effect of making his eyes lighting up with a white glow. This ability allowed him to see things that his normal eyes couldn't see, allowing him to see through the Mist and illusions with ease, as well as magic itself. Scanning the area where he felt the bloodlust, he saw a large cave that was littered with what looked like human skeletons and dried blood.

If Markus hadn't known that it was a demon from hell that he was killing, he would've felt a little queasy at seeing the scene. But he steeled his features an, holding onto Wavebreaker in figurine form, he walked forward and entered the cave.

As he stepped into the cave, the bloodlust increased drastically, but Markus didn't break face. The feeling was slightly affecting him, but Markus had been in the presence of gods on a number of occasions. Their natural presence was much stronger and a little more ominous than the bloodlust.

His shoes stepped into several skeletons, not on purpose, though. It wasn't like a cheap haunted house or anything. The skeletons ranged in size from human, to animal, to others that he had no idea about. The human-sized ones varied, from grown adults to small children. And they all had dried blood. Small creatures, maybe spiders or something else, crept across the surface.

On the walls, several crude drawings were shown: words in a language that he didn't understand. Maybe demon speak. Along with that were images of demons: one image showed a demon with wide eyes - literally wide, with the eyes taking up half its face - and a large mouth showing giant teeth. The teeth looked normal, with canines, molars, premolars, etc., but were stained black. Another image showed a giant wolf with red eyes. It was similar to a hell hound, only this one looked more dangerous and intimidating. Another was in the form of a little girl, but with spider pincers on her back. She looked the least disturbing of the images, but also the creepiest. The other pictures at least looked like what you would expect from demons, but the image of a supposedly girl with an evil expression was fucked up.

The thing with these images were that they radiated an evil aura, as if they were actually real. Markus stared at them some more, but ultimately decided to move on.

Surprisingly, he faced no resistance. He expected to be swarmed by demons the moment he stepped in the cave. Maybe they were waiting for him at the centre. Or secretly lurking in the corners of the cave. He sensed no presence, though. Maybe human and godly magic was different than demon magic. Markus wanted to light the place up to see better, but decided against it. He didn't want to attract more attention to himself, and he could make himself a sitting duck. The lighting he had was enough.

After walking for what felt like half an hour, Markus entered a large clearing. The clearing had crevice in the wall with runes and iron chains wrapped around it. The chains didn't look normal despite looking like it. Markus could feel several heavy amounts of magic rolling off the chains. The floor was littered with the biggest pile of bones that Markus had seen in the cave. It looked like Zerith had scraped the flesh off the bones and dumped them around the place.

Apart from those features, the cave looked relatively normal, which surprised Markus. He'd imagined brimstone and hellfire pouring from holes on the walls, and hordes of demons swarming to rip him apart. Seeing the real thing was kind of a letdown.

" **Who approaches my chambers?** " a deep, dark voice spoke out, the voice reverberating across the whole cave. The vibrations rang out from behind Markus.

Markus refused to show any fear, even if he was a little unnerved. "Well, aren't you a wonderful guest," he responded sarcastically. "If you're going to welcome someone, at least start with the simple 'Hello. How are you?' spiel. Such bad manners."

" **I have no patience for pathetic jokes, mortal. Speak of your identity or perish** ," the voice threatened.

Markus scoffed. "Kind of hypocritical when you don't do the same thing, isn't it? Why don't you stop hiding and show your face, Mr. Big Bad Demon?"

The voice was silent for a moment, before movement was detected from the crevice. The runes glowed brightly before fading. The chains rattled, before snapping without any outward movement. Loud footsteps echoed out from the crevice, while Markus looked expectantly from his point.

Clawed feet stepped forward, followed by the limbs of an animal. Then the torso followed. The bottom half looked like a panther, whereas the top - which Markus examined without puking - was practically held together with its bottom half by hardened entrails. The torso, arms and head was a pale peach colour with purple lines running through it. The stomach had an opening, like someone carved into the flesh of the stomach. No blood flowed from it, only teeth, hardened entrails and saliva. Its arms were thin ans scrawny, with talons equipped on each digit. Its face was round and gaunt. Its eyes showed tiny red pupils that were indented into ridges of flesh. The mouth was, as expected, filled with rows of sharp daggers for teeth **(A.N. - Think of Lord Loss from the Demonata by Darren Shan, because that's where his image comes from with a few added features)**.

"Damn, on second thought, go back into your hole in the ground. Maybe my stomach might not be so upset," Markus muttered, holding his mouth in to keep his lunch down. He regretted eating all of that food now.

" **What do you require of Lord Zerith, mortal? Be thankful that I have not consumed you yet?** " the demon spoke, its mouth opening and closing, resembling a wave of daggers.

Markus could feel the demonic power rolling off of him. The previous presence was nothing compared to now. Markus unconsciously saw images of his own death playing in his mind, each in gruesome detail. His body was shaking without him knowing. To stop his shaking, Markus bit his hand, biting hard enough to draw blood. The pain forced him out of his fear. "So you're one of those demons? That just makes it more satisfying to kill you. And I'm your slayer. You don't need to know my name. Doubt you care," Markus spoke, free of any residual fear in his body.

Zerith threw his head back and laughed loudly, entrail juice flying everywhere. " **Hahaha! It has been a while since I've seen a mortal with such bravado! I'm going to enjoy eating you the most out of all my victims. I haven't seen this kind of arrogance in over two thousand years.** "

"Don't you just love hearing yourself speak?" Markus taunted, walking forward slowly to prepare himself. "And don't worry. I'm make sure that your ugly-looking ass is dead for another two thousand years."

Zerith roared, his aura flaring in fury. Markus took that as his cue to reveal Wavebreaker in its full form. He dashed forward at super speeds, sword raised.

Just as he reached half a centimetre towards him, Zerith unleashed a condensed ball of energy that pushed Markus back, with the intention of sending him sailing. Markus dug Wavebreaker deep into the ground to keep himself from flying. Moving at even faster speeds, Markus performed a Sonido and instantly appeared at Zerith's feet. Slashing in quick strikes, Markus cut at his feet, hacking and slashing. He had enough sense to narrowly roll out of the way as Zerith swiped at where his head used to be.

Holding out his hands, Markus spoke. "Επικαλούμαι: Δεσμευτικά χέρια! (Invoke: Binding Hands!). Sky blue ribbons wrapped around Zerith's leg. He poured a sizeable chunk of magic to keep the demon restrained. Zerith almost wobbled, roaring in pain and frustration from Markus' slashes from before, almost tripping over his feet.

Casting another spell, Markus spoke again. " _Stella Inspiratione!"_ The giant light bomb sailed towards the demon, connecting successfully with him. As smoke was formed from the collision, it was dispersed by a roar of pain from Zerith. The demon had large burns on his body where his stomach-mouth was. He was now cradling his wounds with care. Guess light spells were super effective.

Before Markus could cast another spell, Zerith broke his Binding Hands spell. He held out his hand, a large crude-looking blade appearing in it. Lunging forward, the demon swiped at the demigod. This was intercepted by Red Queen appearing into Markus' hands from his keychain, Wavebreaker disappearing. However, the blow was so powerful that Markus could only deflect it. The tip of Zerith's blade was heading towards his shoulder. Thinking quickly, he vibrated his body, phasing through the attack and delivering a strike towards the demonic blade. Despite his injuries, Zerith had enough skills to block the attack.

His arm slightly shook from the blow despite blocking it and having increased strength. Breaking the stalemate, Markus pulled the lever on Red Queen and revved the blade, producing a giant spark of flames across the blade that allowed him to push Zerith back slightly. Boosting forward and sliding under the demonic blade baseball-style, Markus swung the heated blade into Zerith's side.

The flesh where the demon was struck was burnt heavily, the blade continuing revving and burning into the demon's side. Zerith let out a screech of agony as he was burnt from Red Queen. Furious, he swung his blade towards Markus' blade again. This time, though, Markus performed a quick vapour travel, escaping the swing of the blade and sending his vapour body to the other side.

Roaring, Zerith waved his hand and darkness formed from his fingertips. The darkness coalesced into a large wall, allowing dozens of smaller demons to jump out of the darkness. Some of them were identical to the images Markus saw from before: the giant wolf, the wide-eyed demon, along with a small green demon with tiny mouths on its palms and other creatures that belonged in nightmares.

" **Devour him!** " Zerith ordered. His minions marched forward, eager to feast on the demigod.

Wanting to get rid of them in one swoop, Markus summoned four speed clones. He ordered them to keep the minions busy while he concentrated. His _Ionioi Hetairoi_ spell formed behind him, only this time, instead of launching them straight away, he mentally formed small cluster bombs out of light using his photokinesis.

The demons made to interrupt his spell, but his speed clones did their work, slaying demons by the number. Unfortunately, many more came spilling from the darkness created by Zerith. The demon in question tried to heal himself from his wounds, but the light properties from the _Stella Inspiratione_ still burned him.

Binding the light cluster bombs to the formed weapons, the Mist weapons were now brimming with light. Markus had come far in manipulating light and his own spells. This was one of his improved versions of his _Ionioi Hetairoi_ spells. He had a darkness one made as well. But this one was designed for demons.

Waving his hand forward, he cast his spell. " _Ionioi Hetairoi:_ _Gōrudokingu-Ban_! (Army of the King: Gold King Edition!)" The light-covered spell sailed towards the demons, skewering them faster than they were forming.

When the final wave of demons were destroyed, Zerith abandoned the wall of darkness. " **You will pay for this insolence, you pathetic morsel!** " Zerith shouted in anger. The demon then waved his hand.

Markus didn't even bother waiting to find out what he casted. He immediately moved, dodging a giant pillar of hellfire. Even when he dodged, Markus could still feel the unholy heat coming from the flames.

Holding his hands out, Markus activating his Vερό runes on his palms. Water shot forward from his hands like two firehouses. However, the water dispersed as it came into contact with the flames, being evaporated.

At his shocked face, Zerith laughed. " **Your pitiful water magic is no match for hellfire. Now burn and begone from my presence!** "

The hellfire moved, acting as it had a mind of its own. Not trusting his phasing to hold up against hellfire, Markus dashed towards the walls, running across it. His speed clones, however, weren't so lucky. The hellfire acted like a snake, coiling and zipping towards the clones, devouring them and causing them to disperse.

The hellfire kept on chasing Markus as he ran across the wall due to his speed, the flames not leaving his trail. Zerith laughed as he watched the struggle, it being similar to a cat-and-mouse act.

Markus cursed loudly. Why the hell weren't the flames leaving him?! He was not eager to be burnt to a crisp. Maybe even more burnt, considering it was hellfire.

Having enough, Markus dashed to the ground, having an idea. His Kράτοσ rune lighting up, as well as making his arms vibrate slightly, Markus waited for the flames to come towards him.

When they were almost ten inches away from him, Markus clapped his hands. The power behind his hand created a shockwave powerful enough to disperse the hellfire. It didn't fade away completely, but embers and flickers landed on the ground away from him, still burning.

Thankful for his idea of creating a thunderclap, Markus quickly equipped Beowulf. Channelling earthquake energy into the gauntlets, Markus took off at super speeds towards Zerith. Meeting his charge, Zerith swung his sword towards Markus' head. Markus met the charge by punching the blade.

Due to his overall strength and striking power from his Kράτοσ rune, Beowulf and his earthquake energy, Markus able to break the sword, making it shatter. Zerith's shocked expression allowed Markus to land a nasty right hook to his face, right where his nose was supposed to be.

The demon screeched, trying to hold his nose, but Markus didn't give him any reprieve. He followed through with another hook to his face, followed by another fist to his face. Wanting to continue keeping up the strike, Markus dismissed the earthquake energy within him and decided to apply kinetic energy instead. And so started punching in rapid success, breaking Zerith's face even further. Markus' strikes were so fast and powerful that, not only did they keep him suspended in the air due to each strike, but instead of two fists punching, it looked like multiple were hitting the demon, due to the speed that they were travelling at **(A.N. - Like Luffy's Gum Gum Gatling from One Piece)**.

The light runes on Beowulf activated, causing Zerith to screech in even more agony as he was practically pummelled. The strikes were so powerful that Zerith was pushed into the ground from the force, creating an indent with his shape. Markus didn't let up for even a second. His fists crashed into the demon, creating bruises and breaking skin and drawing black blood. His stomach-mouth was being crushed, with black blood flowing into it.

Feeling slight exhaustion, Markus decided to finish with one final strike. Pulling his arms back, he fell towards the downed demon and struck with all his might **(A.N. - Like Luffy's Gum Gum Bazooka)**.

Hopping off the giant crater that he made, Markus panted as he inspected the damage he caused. Zerith was practically destroyed at this point. Dismissing Beowulf, Markus summoned Wavebreaker and prepared to finish it.

But before he could, Zerith surprisingly had enough strength to quickly raise his hand and summon a small ball of hellfire. Shocked, Markus was able to quickly dodge, but not without getting slightly burned on his left arm from the hellfire.

Markus roared in pain as he cradled his burnt arm, the flicker of hellfire burning through his aviator jacket and trying to burn his arm. Quickly removing it, he threw the article of clothing down on the ground. He watched sadly as the hellfire devoured the jacket, burning it to ashes.

He was surprised that the flames were able to burn through his jacket, but he was more worried about his arm. Thankfully, the wound wasn't that serious, his jacket protecting him from the worst of it. However, there was a large burn mark there, and it kept giving Markus slight burns even if he didn't move his arm. Summoning water from the slight vapour in the air - which wasn't much - Markus was shocked to see that, despite the water doing its job in healing him, the wound was slowly healing. What the fuck? What was wrong with his arm?!

Zerith's chuckles broke him out of his thoughts. " **I don't know how you're still alive, but say goodbye to that arm. Wounds from hellfire don't heal. It'll keep burning you for the rest of your life. I may not be able to kill you, but I can at least cripple you, you filthy mongrel!** "

"I'm not the one who got his ass handed to him by said 'mongrel'," Markus sneered as Zerith growled. "And taking out my arm isn't going to stop me from destroying you. But first."

Forming a speed clone, he made it zip towards the demon and yank out a fang from his mouth, making Zerith weakly snarl but do nothing. The speed clone then dashed back to its creator, helping put the fang in his backpack.

Nodding, Markus made the speed clone disperse as he held his good arm out. What he was performing was his strongest light spell to date. And the good thing was that it required no words to form. Just magic.

An orb of superheated light was held in his hands. It was small at first, but then grew larger. Markus took his time as Zerith couldn't do anything but watch as Markus held an enormous ball of light with embers of fire flickering off of it.

Markus grinned, seeing the look of fear in the demon's beady eyes. "It's not the original, but it'll do." Walking forward, Markus' spell lit the whole cave alight, destroying any shadows in the surroundings. Breaking into a light jog, Markus ran forward, thrusting his spell forward. "Forbidden Sun!" **(A.N. - Yes, the Forbidden Sun from Dark Souls, but with light instead of fire)**.

Zerith screeched as the spell made contact with his body, disintegrating him and the ground that he laid in. A loud BOOM echoed across the cave as the demon Zerith, legacy of Astaroth, Great Duke of Hell, was destroyed.

A shockwave struck the walls of the cave. Markus had to lightly look away from the light show, which slightly faded. After a while, the light that filled the room was dispersed, leaving only a gigantic crater that was superheated, turning the stone into liquid sludge. Slight embers flickered around the cater, the hole looking like a volcano with the heated sludge looking like lava.

Satisfied, Markus grinned widely. "That was fucking awesome. I knew it'd work. Slayed some demons from hell and looked badass while doing it. As well as made out with a hot girl and got a girlfriend out of it. Today is a very good day." Cradling his burnt arm, Markus walked out of the cave and vapour-travelled to camp, feeling too exhausted to run.

 **XXX**

Markus was now in his cabin, his burnt arm in a bandaged cast. He was currently writing down an idea that he had, a hypothesis.

A day since returning from his quest in slaying a demon from hell, he mailed the fang to Hecate. She seemed pleased with him, even though she acted frostily with him. The goddess said nothing as she nodded, disappearing in Mist.

When he came back to Camp Half-Blood, he immediately went to the lake and submerged himself, wanting to heal his arm. But it was no good. Despite healing only slightly, he burn remained.

So he went to the med bay, which came as a shock to Will Solace, who ran the med bay. Markus had never been in the med bay - except when he first arrived - for any injury, due to his broken water healing. But he told him that he had a burn that wouldn't heal.

However, nothing he, or the Apollo cabin, worked. Ambrosia healed it even further, but only slightly. Hymns to Apollo had the same result. Herbs didn't do anything. And everything else failed.

So the Hecate children had to step in. The two groups of demigods worked together to create a cast that had protective and healing runes applied. The bandages were also soaked in nectar as well. Markus thanked them profusely for their help.

His friends were worried about his injury, and were alarmed that his water healing wasn't working, but he told them that it was fine. Silena was especially worried, but he told her that he was fine. Of course she offered a kiss to make him feel better, which Markus gladly accepted.

Although, as happy as he was with her, the two had a talk about his mixed feelings about the other girls. He didn't want to do that, as he was perfectly content with Silena, but he refused to lead her on and hurt her in any way due to his selfishness. Markus expected her to slap him, hate him, be disgusted by him, anything of the sort. And he would've accepted it without complaint.

But surprisingly, instead of doing anything like that, she smiled and said that she already knew. Markus was shocked, but Silena just responded that, as the daughter of Aphrodite, she could sense the love of people, and feel how strongly that person felt towards people. Markus didn't know about this empathic ability, but it made explaining much easier. Silena said that, because of this, she knew that he felt strongly for her, as well as the other girls. She said that she wasn't mad or angry. She understood that it was mainly due to his fatal flaw, but also because he loved the girls in their different ways. Markus was shocked, but allowed Silena to continue explaining.

When Markus talked about his runes, she took a while to process that, but still accepted him, making Markus feel like the happiest person in the world. When he talked about their relationship, he admitted that he refused to let her go, making her heart soar. She also said that they were still very intimate, but the subject of boyfriend and girlfriend was still touchy. They could still call each other that, but decided that he needed to get his feelings checked before it was official.

When Silena jokingly brought the idea of forming a harem, Markus admitted that he was fully on board with the idea, but that was mainly his runes talking. Though a tiny part of him wasn't against the idea.

In the end, he was so thankful for her not hating him that he kissed her, starting a make-out session that left both of them happy for a few hours.

With Annabeth, his speed clone did its job. He went up to her and forgave her again, hugging her when she cried for forgiveness. Markus continued rubbing her back as she sobbed. Percy, who knew the whole story, was happy for the two. Although he looked at them with extreme jealousy. Something Markus caught.

Since then, as a gift, he offered her the chance to help finish the Hestia cabin, which was almost finished. That may have seemed like he was using her, but it was something Annabeth enjoyed immensely. She was so thankful and honoured - since she was one of the few who knew about the project - that she gave him a small kiss on the cheek in excitement. Which caused both of them to blush immensely and for everyone to tease them about it. Though Percy, during his teasing, was able to hide his extreme jealousy at the scene.

Onto his thought-progress spell, Markus was extremely satisfied. It had only been a day, but he had devoured multiple spells in one sitting with ease. The spell did its job perfectly. How it worked was that Markus cast the spell on himself. This caused his thoughts - meaning his learning process, memory, etc. - was boosted when the spell was applied. If he doubled the effects of the spell, his learning and thought speed doubled. If he tripled it, it would triple. Though he was careful not to overdue it. He could possibly get brain damage, something he didn't want **(A.N. - If it sounds confusing, think of it like this: Naruto from Naruto could make a thousand clones to help him in training. When he dispels them, he would get a thousand times the experience rather than the normal experience. The same applies depending on the amount of times Markus increases his thought process)**.

With his new 'Speed Thought' spell, things in the magic books that he previously struggled to read and understand he could now understand and cast fully with almost no difficulty. He was already started on potion-making and transfiguration now, and it had only been one day. Imagine what he could do in a week. Or a month.

But now he was focused on the task at hand. Pushing his thoughts away for later, Markus continued writing ideas under a word that meant something that he wanted. _Devil Bringer_.

 **FINISHED! Thank God.**

 **So lemme start my summary: Hecate found out about his runes, Markus stands up to her accusing him, he slays a demon from hell, finds out God and heaven and hell are real, learns a broken spell, and is in the process of learning something new, which is the Devil Bringer from DMC 4. A cyber cookie to anyone who figures out he gets it.**

 **And Markus gets the first member of his harem: Silena Beauragard. Woohoo! I'm so happy! Over 200,000 words and we have our first harem member. Wonder how many words it'll take to add the others in.**

 **To add the others, I'll try to keep it realistic when they join, but at the same time a little OOC. Silena is understanding because she's the daughter of Aphrodite, goddess of love. Love is an emotion on the emotional spectrum. Therefore, she understands emotions better than any other demigod. She sees that Markus cares for her and the other girls, but refuses to give any of them up due to his selfishness and greed. So, she's somwhat on board with harem. Yay to progress.**

 **Also, Annie is forgiven. Awesome. Nice to see that everyone is forgiven and it's all water under the bridge. Thank you Hestia. So the production of the Hestia cabin will increase thanks to the future architect and her cabin.**

 **Also, the last part in the fight with Zerith with the Forbidden Sun was something that I wrote with glee. Just saying.**

 **A big thanks to all those who favourited, followed and supported the story. Love you all, and I'll continue saying that.**

 **Responding to Guest who gave the idea about controlling sand: I'm not sure, since I never thought of that. I'll give it thought.**

 **As well as the other Guest who commented recently: thank you very much for the praise as well as the comment on my editing. I know my grammar is... let's say somewhat shaky. Hopefully I can improve with almost no mistakes in future chapters.**

 **Next story update: Technopath Madness. Toodles! Read and Review!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34:**

Multitasking with learning techniques with potion-making and transfiguration, as well as performing a certain exercise, Markus had his hands full. He was in his cabin, holed up as usual. His friends were worried about his state, both injury and him staying in his cabin all the time. He just waved them off and told them that it was fine.

Since his arm was injured, he'd been experimenting with ideas, hypothesises and practices with his burnt arm. He tried channelling magic through it, but the process was painful. Markus didn't know the full result of what the hellfire had done to his arm, but he knew that it wasn't something good. He didn't let it stop him, though. When he channelled magic through it, he noticed some foreign substance rejecting it. This 'substance' must've been some ambient magic from Zerith's attack.

However, instead of being angry about it, Markus thought of a way to benefit him through this. The substance in his burn wasn't sentient, yet acted like it had a mind of its own. Like magic. So Markus thought about how he could... manipulate it, was what he tried to describe. It acted like a parasite, rejecting most of the healing elements in the cast. Not all of it, mind you. The nectar was god food, after all. And it was much stronger than the demonic substance in his arm. But the thing kept on attacking the nectar and runes on the bandages. Futilely, but it still fought.

But what if he could manipulate it? Isolate and use it like a... sort of, second source of energy? His divine core being his main source, magic the second, and the substance finally? That was the reason that he labelled the idea _Devil Bringer_. He wanted the substance to travel through his whole arm, but stay within the confinements of his arm.

Of course, the idea was dangerous, as usual. Relying on the demonic substance to aid him was foolhardy. He had no coils to manipulate or change it. It just kept acting like a parasite. But he planned to change that.

Looking at his cast, he removed it from his arm, showcasing the burn that was still there. The wound was lessening day by day, but still not disappearing. Concentrating, Markus tried moving the substance in his arm by will, no magic this time. There was an interesting result now. Instead of fighting, like it did with his magic, it vibrated. Not in pleasure, but on impulse.

Markus sighed. That was the best he could do at the moment. His hypothesis was slow, agonisingly slow, but there was some progress.

Markus decided to forget it for the moment and instead focused on his other tasks. With his 'Speed Thought' spell, he'd made leap and bounds in spell-crafting and other fields of magic. He had finished the book taken from Circe's island on spell-weaving and understood it with perfect clarity. He could perform spells almost successfully on the first try after reading through it a couple of times. With potions, he was already becoming adept in them after only reading about it for such a short while. The topic was similar to chemistry, although Markus didn't know anything about chemistry. His best field in school was physics, surprisingly.

Anyway, potion-making was going very well for him. He'd made sleeping potions, truth potions, strengthening potions and potions that acted similar to booster shots, although they were very dangerous. He could've learned how to brew an aphrodisiac or love potion if he wanted, but he frankly refused. He didn't want anything to do with Aphrodite's business. His runes did all of that for him.

However, he truly shined in transfiguration. It was, essentially, turning one object into the other, like seen in Harry Potter. Not to be confused with transmutation, which was something completely different. He could turn a pen into a mouse, or a ball into a spider. Markus wanted to send it to the Athena cabin for a prank, but he wasn't that cruel. He could also turn inanimate objects into live animals, which had a number of applications in battle. Or also turn inanimate objects into other inanimate objects. For example, he could turn a piece of stone into a spare bronze shield, for extra protection. Or into a spare sword for him to wield. The possibilities were endless. Markus' application for transfiguration made him excel in it.

He was really thankful for his new spell. With it, he had practically surpassed the children of Hecate in pure spell knowledge and some of them in spell-casting. The ones who did surpass him were Alabaster and Lou, although he was quickly surpassing Lou. What he _did_ surpass all children of Hecate in was magic potency and capacity, as well as destructive force. Something that he was proud of.

A thought just came to him. Why was he only using it for magic? He could also use it for physical combat as well. He could purchase a bunch of books on hand-to-hand combat and read all of them in an instant, with the training done later. He could practically learn every martial art there was and add to his own taekwondo.

Feeling satisfied with himself, Markus stood up, applying his bandages and walking out of his cabin, eager for some sparring. He'd done his reading, now it was time for combat.

As he made his way out of his cabin, heading to a particular direction. Standing at the door of the Zeus cabin, he knocked on the door, wanting to meet its resident.

A few seconds later, Thalia opened the door. "What do you want, Barnacle Brain?" she asked curiously.

Markus had to withhold snickering at her nickname for him. It was funny every time she said it. She was wearing a Green Day T-shirt that looked a little baggy on her, along with black jeans. On her neck was a black choker with small spikes on it. She had black eyeliner and blue highlights in her hair. She was really going for the punk look. Though it did look good on her, he noted with increased detail.

"Yo princess. I want to train in using a spear again. Let's go," Markus said.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Why are you so insistent on getting your ass kicked again?"

"Wasn't that the same thing for you?" he asked cheekily, getting her to scowl. "And I'll even sweeten the deal: you help me with the spear and I'll help you train your demigod powers."

"I don't need help, Barnacle Brain," Thalia scoffed. "I'm doing just fine on my own."

Markus raised his eyebrow. "Really?" he asked disbelievingly. "So... can you do this?" Markus held up his hand, summoning lightning into his hand. A few seconds later, the lightning increased in potency, gathering in his hand to form a sword out of lightning.

Thalia blinked, shocked at the display of powers. "Well... no, but-"

"Or this?" Markus asked, dismissing the sword and gathering the lightning in his hand to form a ball of crackling electricity. After a moment, Markus grunted, holding his hand out and making the lightning form and extend into a lance that extended for some distance, before retracting it back.

Thalia frowned at the display, almost jealous. "No."

Markus grinned. "No? Then how about this?" Forming lightning in both arms, he waved his hand, condensing the lightning and forming it to create tiny needles out of electricity that shot forward, piercing the floor and railing.

"Okay, okay, I get it! You're better at using lightning than me!" Thalia screamed, frustrated and jealous. "How the hell can you use lightning better than a child of Zeus? How can you even use lightning at all?!"

"Poseidon's the Stormbringer," Markus answered, shrugging. "Guess the title wasn't just for show."

Crossing her arms, Thalia huffed. "Please, you're just overpowered."

"Not my fault if I was born a badass," Markus shrugged. In truth the actual reason he was so good at using lightning was heavy amounts of watching Naruto, Fairy Tail, Hunter x Hunter and One Piece. The lightning-users in all those anime had amazing ideas that he cop- ahem, borrowed for himself.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go."

Nodding, both demigods walked towards the arena. Markus was able to fight with both hands since the bandages protected his burn from external contact. Thalia took out her canister and formed her spear while Markus took a practice spear that felt right in his hands. Mentally counting down, both teens charged, spears ready.

Despite Markus making progress in properly wielding a spear, he still fell short when compared to Thalia. Against Clarisse, Markus felt fairly confident. Thalia, however, still beat him when using the spear. Meeting each other's charge, Thalia quickly sweeped at his feet using the end of her spear. Blocking with his own end, Markus twirled his spear in his hands, going for a stab that became a feint and quickly went for a quick slash with the tip. Thalia, however, intercepted the strike and kept on pressuring him, forcing him to defend and dodge quickly.

Both of them decided against using their powers, wanting to see how their skills would fare against each other.

As the two fought, they became aware that they had gathered a crowd. Markus ignored it in favour of sparring, but got pissed when one guy, probably from Ares' cabin, yelled out, "Yeah! Kick his ass, girl!"

"Yeah!" another boy called out. "Make him suffer!"

"Beat him black and blue!"

"Kick him in the balls!"

"Skewer him!"

"Why the hell are you guys against me?!" Markus yelled, briefly throwing Thalia off from trying to get into a hold and kept moving his spear, making Thalia eye his weapon and to give him distance.

"This is payback for you kicking our asses in spars!" a kid called out, who apparently was from the Hermes' cabin.

"Yeah! We deserve the revenge of you getting your ass kicked painfully!" an Ares kid agreed.

There was cheering from the crowd, cries of "Humiliate him!" "Avenge us!" "Gain our pride back!" rang amongst the crowd.

Thalia smirked hearing the chants heading her way. "Guess I got the support of the crowd. Even they agree that you need to be humbled, Barnacle Brain."

"I'll deal with them later," Markus growled, going for a thrust that Thalia intercepted. He kept on attacking, thrusting and swiping, his strikes becoming increasingly stronger and faster as Thalia was kept on the edge. "The cries of cowards won't save you." At their angry shouts at being called cowards, Markus roared back, "Shut up! You all know it's true!"

Markus shout almost cost him the match, as he ducked, narrowly missing a strike that would've cut him in the face. Swinging his weapon, Markus made to knock Thalia off her feet, but the daughter of Zeus jumped. She tried to slam the pole of her spear on his midsection, but he managed to roll away in time.

He ended up in a crouch, his spear held firmly. Opting for a different tactic, Markus made a quick dash, not using super speed but moving faster than average, and slammed the end of his spear in the ground, pole-vaulting towards Thalia.

She was surprised, but managed to react quickly by moving out of the way. However, mid-flight, he swung his spear like a bat, cracking her upside the face a little harshly.

The crowd ooohed, but didn't say anything else. Markus made to disarm her, but Thalia was tougher than he thought. She managed to block his strike, despite having a bruise on the side of her head.

She glared, breathing heavily through her nose. "That was dirty."

"It was strategy," Markus corrected. "Although I didn't expect you to recover from that so quickly."

"Unlike you, I don't need to rely on dirty tricks to win," Thalia sneered.

"Yeah, sure."

"Kick his ass, Thalia!" a familiar voice cried out.

Markus blinked at that, disengaging from Thalia and moving quickly to see Percy cheering from the crowd.

"What the fuck, Percy?!" he called out, pissed off. Even his own brother?! The fuck?!

"I'm just cheering for my cousin," Percy said innocently, though Markus didn't believe him.

"Bullshit! I'm your brother! Where's my support, traitor?!" Markus accused.

Percy glared at Markus with annoyance in his eyes. "Do you know how many times you've humiliated me in spars?! Now I can get my revenge! With Thalia executing it!"

Thalia smirked in Percy's direction. "Don't worry, cuz. I'll be sure to whup his ass for you."

"Thanks, cuz!"

"Oh, that is bullshit!" Markus yelled, annoyed as hell. "Don't be mad at me just because you all are pussies!"

"Hey!" Percy, and the rest of the crowd, shouted in anger.

"Shut the fuck up you fucking traitors!"

"My, the mouth on you," Thalia taunted with a smirk.

Narrowing his eyes, Markus made to attack. But Thalia used his anger to her advantage. Attacking to the side, she made a feint and aimed for his chest. Markus was able to dodge, but wasn't able to avoid the spear end that cut off a piece of his shirt. The fabric at the side tore off, exposing his Uruz rune on his stomach.

"Goddamn it woman! This was one of my favourite shirts!" Markus yelled out, annoyed. Though the girls in the crowd, as well as Thalia, took great notice of the tattoo on his stomach as well as his abs.

"Damn, boy! Give me some of that!" a girl from the crowd whistled, leering at his six pack and tattoo that made him look a little more sexier. He received more catcalls and whistles from appreciative girls and Markus, slightly blushing but soaking up the praise, removed the rest of the shirt, the fabric being useless.

Almost all of the girls had blushes and drooled at Markus' exposed upper body. His arms, specifically his biceps and triceps, were a bit small but compact, packing a lot of power in them. His arms obviously had a lot of power in them. His pectoral muscles were chiselled and defined, and his abs looked large enough to fit a small hand in them, and looked sharp enough to cut through diamond. To add to the look, his runes and tattoos made him appear more sexier in their eyes. The guys looked on in jealousy.

Looking at Thalia's blushing and slightly leering face, he grinned. "You know, if you wanted a show, I would've given you one," he teased. This got the girl to splutter and blush even more. Seeing her distracted, Markus took the chance to disarm her and held her at spear-point. "Yield?" he asked triumphantly.

This got her to snap out of her trance and glare at him. "You cheated!"

"You're the one who killed my shirt and got distracted staring at my sexy self! Blame yourself! And you've won all the other spars, let me have this one win!"

Thalia growled. Whether she was angry at him or at herself for getting distracted, he didn't know. "Fine! You get this one win!" Taking a rather long look at his body and making him grin, she glared angrily at him, though this was ruined by her huge blush. "Meet me in the forest for the training."

"Okay," he said, still grinning. Quickly, she left the arena, face tomato red.

Waving his hand towards the crowd, Markus called out, "Show's over! Get the fuck out!"

There were loud groans, both from those who wanted to see him lose and from the girls who wanted to continue staring at him, but they finally left. Leaving only one person standing.

Smirking at the person, Markus put his practice spear back in the rack and went towards the person. "Did you enjoy the show?" he asked the person standing teasingly.

Silena smirked at him, but mostly staring at his upper body. "I'm already enjoying it now," she said, looking at his tattoos. Despite knowing what they represented and not liking them, she would be lying if she said she didn't like them on her boyfriend.

Using his finger to tip her head up, he smiled knowingly. "My eyes are up here, you know."

"I know," she said, reaching out and rubbing her hands against his abs, making Markus get goosebumps on his body from her contact. "You know," she said with a seductive purr, "while I don't mind the fact that you like Thalia, what I don't like is the fact that she practically undressed you and got a free show." Her purr gave way to a slightly possessive growl. "As well as the fact that you were practically a piece of meat in the eyes of the other girls. Remember, this-" Silena made a show of rubbing her body around his body, making Markus groan slightly as he liked what she was doing, "-is mine and only for my eyes until I say otherwise. You understand, mister?"

"Oh? And what are you going to do if I disobey, Ms. Beauragard?" Markus asked teasingly, purposefully pushing her buttons.

Narrowing her eyes, Silena smirked seductively. "Well, Mr. Henderson, I'll just have convince you." And with that, Silena grabbed Markus by his belt and pulled him towards her with surprising strength. Following her movements, Markus leaned down and kissed her, loving the soft feel of her lips against his.

Feeling his loins stir, Markus wrapped his arms around her waist, grabbing her perfectly-shaped ass in his hands. Silena, meanwhile, moaned and rubbed her hands around his muscled torso, savouring each feel of his body.

Before they could go any further, Markus stepped back from the kiss and practically carried Silena to his cabin using super speed, after checking that Percy wasn't there. With that, hormones ruled.

 **XXX**

Markus made his way to the forest to meet up with Thalia, a stupid grin on his face. He now wore another shirt that covered his body and hid the hickeys on his collarbone.

When he had made it to his cabin, he and Silena basically pounced on each other. They kissed, groped, clawed, twisted and turned... Markus grinned happily thinking about it. They didn't have sex (both not ready to take that step yet, despite their hormones saying otherwise) but they did foreplay, which was enough. Markus was _really_ glad that he had a girlfriend. He had given Silena matching hickeys on her collarbones, as a sort of payback for her giving him them, and found out her weak spots that gave her pleasure. Which Markus saved for later.

Silena had to return to her cabin, but not before teasing by swaying her hips and showcasing her big and round ass. Markus drooled just thinking about it and how it felt in his hands.

Slapping himself from his thoughts, Markus concentrated on meeting up with Thalia. When he made it to a particular point near the Fist of Zeus, he heard shouting. Concerned, he walked past the undergrowth of trees to see Thalia and Percy arguing with each other. Why were the two arguing with each other? They were fine ganging up on him before, Markus noted with a scowl on his face. The shouting made Markus refocus on the fight.

"I asked him to come help me train, Kelp Head!" Thalia yelled. "Go find someone else!"

"He's my brother! I can go to him for help if I want to!" Percy retorted back. "And since when did you two get so buddy-buddy?!"

That's none of your business! Now scram before I turn you into a fried fish!"

"Try it, Porcupine Head!"

Markus quietly snickered at that insult. Not Percy's best retort, but it was still something.

Deciding to break up the fight, Markus put his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly, getting both of their attention. "Ladies, please. You're both pretty," he spoke to the two.

Thalia turned to Markus, eyes sparking with electricity. "Tell your brother that I asked for your help first and that he should scram!"

"And you tell Thalia that she's being a bitch!" Percy retorted.

"What did you say, you-"

"Enough!" Markus shouted, interrupting the two of them. Sighing, he looked at the two. "And I thought I was easy to anger... Look Percy," he said, turning to his brother. "Thalia did ask for my help first. You can't just butt in." Percy's face fell at that while Thalia looked triumphant. "However," both of them looked up at that, "that doesn't mean I won't help you."

While Percy was happy, Thalia wasn't. "I thought you said you were helping me!" Thalia said to him angrily, glaring at him.

"I am," Markus nodded. A second later, a speed clone was formed. "That doesn't mean I can't split the job into two."

Both children of the Big Three blinked at looking at the two. Their eyes looked back and forth between the original and the clone. "Forgot you could do that," Percy said after a moment.

"Yeah, me too," Thalia admitted.

Sighing, Markus dismissed the speed clone. "I can train you individually or separately. It doesn't matter. But Percy, Thalia did ask first. So I'll train both of you together, then let Thalia have her own time with me."

Percy pouted, but relented in the end.

"Alright," Markus said, sighing. "Both of you sit down. I want to show you something."

Both teens sat down, eager to learn.

"The first thing I'm going to show you is meditation," Markus started off. The skill was a very useful one and was one of the main reasons why he could use his powers so well.

"Meditation?" Thalia asked, skeptical. "How is sitting going to help us get stronger?" Percy stayed quiet, knowing that Markus knew what he was doing.

"Meditation is important because it's good for calming your mind. But more importantly, it's good for helping you find your divine core."

"Our what?" both Percy and Thalia asked.

Markus sighed. "Divine core. It's the core that we demigods have that are given to us by our parents. The cores range in strength and size depending on who your parent is and how much you use it. For Thalia, I would imagine an electrical feeling to your core, along with a touch of wind, since you mainly use lightning. For Percy, an aquatic feeling is what I'd expect from you."

"And how would finding our core help us?" Thalia asked. "We already know how to use our powers."

"Yes, but finding your core helps you bring your powers out much easier, since you know where it's coming from and where to properly draw from," Markus explained patiently. "For example..." Markus held up his hand, drawing water from the air to form a water sphere. He changed the sphere to form different shapes, like a trident, or a shark, or a whale. He then formed the structures separately and turned them into ice sculptures. Holding up his other hand, Markus produced lightning to his palm. Clenching his fist, he made the lightning surround his palm like a glove, then turned it into a sword, then into a spear, and then an axe. Percy and Thalia were shocked at his display of skill. "... meditating with your divine core can help you become in tune with your powers and reach heights that you never even dreamed of." Markus closed his fists, cancelling his constructs.

Both of them nodded, knowing that he knew what he was talking about.

"Be warned, meditation will take some time, as with our ADHD, it'll be hard for us to sit completely still," Markus explained, "but it is possible. Also note, you can achieve what I showed you if you trained hard enough, but it'll take extremely long." Turning to his brother, Markus asked seriously, "Percy, how far have you come in water manipulation?"

"Uh, I can manipulate ice to a better degree than last time," Percy answered. "I can also summon minor earthquakes, but they take a lot out of me."

Markus nodded, proud of his brother. "Good. That's good. Can you manipulate vapour?"

Percy blinked. "Vapour?"

Markus showed him what he meant by turning his body into a cloud of vapour. The smokey trail was a faint bluish, but had a transparent sheen to it. Both Percy and Thalia were shocked, trying to look around to see where Markus had gone. He smiled in smoke form, which felt weird. Calling his molecules back together, Markus turned solid again, taking form in front of them.

At their gobsmacked expressions, Markus laughed. Oh, if they were shocked at that, they were going to be even more shocked if they knew what else he could do. "That was me turning into vapour. Vapour is basically water in a gas form, just like ice is water in a solid form. It's another form of water manipulation that is hard, but possible to learn. With it, you can pass through attacks and even travel as a body of vapour. Though the technique is very draining. Got it?"

"Y-Yeah, got it," Percy answered, a little underwhelmed with what he had to learn.

Markus smiled at this. "Don't worry. It'll be hard, but I have faith in you. And you better not let me down, baby brother."

Percy glared at him while Thalia snickered. "Don't call me that."

"Well, when you say it like that..." Markus smiled cheekily. He then summoned a speed clone. "Now you follow him so that he can train you."

Percy blinked. "I thought that you were training the both of us."

Markus sighed. "I would, but I don't have much to teach you physically that you can't gain through training. Meditation will help you a lot, but if you want weapon training, you have Riptide. If you're interested in another weapon, I can only use a sword and a spear. Also guns, but someone's too much of a pussy to use them." Percy glared at him for that but Markus shrugged. "It's true. So he-" Markus pointed to his clone, "-is going to help train you combat-wise and physically. So be prepared."

Percy gulped at seeing the sadistic grin on the speed clone's face, before it picked Percy up by the collar of his shirt and dragged him away with super speed, with Percy screaming and kicking along the way.

Thalia laughed while seeing this. "You are a cruel brother."

Markus smirked. "I know. But let's go back to you. You said you wanted to train in using your powers, right?"

"Yeah," Thalia nodded eagerly.

Smiling at her enthusiasm, Markus got to training her. "Okay. First, you're going to need to learn how to meditate. You can already use your powers very well, so you should find your core easily. Next, I want you to bring your lightning outwards, but not blasting anything. Just bring it out from your skin."

Nodding, Thalia closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Key word being 'tried'. A few minutes after she kept twitching and tapping her arm in frustration. Following that, she threw her arms up in the air, giving up. "This is pointless!"

"And I thought I was the one with anger problems," Markus muttered, seeing her frustration.

She whirled towards him. "This doesn't work! I-"

Markus raised his hand to stop her. Surprisingly, this did its job. "Did you honestly expect to master it on the first try?" he asked with a deadpanned look.

Her anger calming down, she had a slightly sheepish expression. "W-Well... no..."

Markus sighed. He took her hands in his. "Thalia. We have ADHD. I would definitely be surprised if you mastered on the first try. Listen, think of something that interests you. Now focus on that one thing. Keep on focusing on that. And then look deep within yourself. That'll help you find your core."

Thalia gave him a wary look. "You're not going all hippie on me, are you?"

"If I was, you'd be the first to know," he responded jokingly, getting them both to smile. "But I'm serious. Focus on that one thing that you want, and look deep within yourself."

Nodding, Thalia decided to give a try. After a few moments, she sat still. She still twitched a couple of times but managed to remain still. After a few moments, Markus waited patiently for her to find her core. Pretty soon, she was smiling brightly. "I did it! I found my core!"

And that was where things went slightly wrong. Thalia seemed so excited by finding her divine core that she automatically tugged on it, drawing forth her power. But instead of bringing it out from beneath her skin, she unconsciously sent it outwards, shocking Markus.

He didn't really get affected that much. His lightning resistance was nowhere near his water resistance, but he could tank a couple of volts. He managed to channel his own lightning to cancel out Thalia's.

After his shock, his figure was slightly smoking. Physically he was alright. His shirt, however, wasn't. It was a little charred and had a few holes in it.

Seeing this, Thalia panicked. "Markus! Oh, gods! I-I'm so sorry!"

Sighing, Markus looked down to his shirt. He gave Thalia a small glare. "I know you're attracted to me, but can you please not kill every shirt I wear?"

Blushing at his sentence, she inspected his body for any damage. "H-how are you not boiled into a crisp?"

"I have minor lightning resistance," Markus explained. "It's nothing compared to yours, but it's something. Besides I can take a hit." Removing his hands from hers, Markus took off his shirt, not bothering to hide his body from Thalia. She'd already seen it, so why bother hiding it?

Thalia blushed at seeing his upper torso again, but didn't shy away from looking at it. _Mmm...,_ she hummed appreciatively in her mind.

Raising his eyebrow, he smirked. "Sorry, I'm not a stripper. Though I wouldn't mind getting tipped by you." At seeing her face become tomato red, he chuckled. "You're too easy."

"S-shut up before I shock you again!" she argued futilely.

Markus laughed at her retort. Concentrating slightly, Markus managed to slowly form a white shirt with gold highlights on it on his body. Made fully of kinetic energy. Inspecting his article, he grinned. "Managed to get it down."

Thalia blinked as he just made a shirt out of mid-air. "How did you - you know what, I don't even want to know." Thalia had given up trying to figure Markus Henderson out. When you saw him doing one random thing, he'd surprise you by doing something even more random.

"Noted," Markus smiled. He held out his hands again. "Want to try again?"

She blinked at his hands. "You want to try again?"

"Yeah. I can take a hit. Besides, you're not finished. You managed to find your core. Now you need to bring it out properly. This time without shocking me."

Thalia nodded shakily. Markus sighed and patted her shoulder. "You can do it, Thalia. Remember, I got your back."

Smiling, Thalia took his hands again. More for support than anything else. Closing her eyes, she decided to concentrate fully this time. After a couple of minutes, she found her core and managed to bring her power. Markus watched with bated breath as, instead of sending it outwards completely, she managed to tame it, making it crackle along her skin.

Opening her eyes, she saw Markus' proud smile on his face. Smiling herself, she made to say something, but felt suddenly light-headed. She felt her eyelids get heavy, and passed out. Markus managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

He sighed. "I kind of expected that." She'd been drawing on her divine core and powers so much that she exhausted herself.

He gently put her down on the ground. Getting some slabs of trees by cutting them down by using Wavebreaker (and possibly pissing off some tree nymphs) he transfigured the slabs of tree bark into a soft pillow, a mattress and a blanket. Gently picking her up, he brought her on top of the mattress, covering her body and letting her rest on it. She curled up before he could even finish tucking her in.

Markus smiled at the display. It was nice to see Thalia like this. Most of the time she was fierce and strong and a badass in his eyes. But seeing this gentle side to her was nice as well. He couldn't deny that he slowly falling for her the more time he spent with her. Markus couldn't control it, but it was true. And his greed refused to think about one girl and forget about the others that he had feelings for. He wanted all of the girls to himself. Silena's words from last time rang through his head, but he dismissed them. Like any of them would even think about sharing him.

Sighing, he decided to train himself. Moving to give himself space, he decided against using magic. Instead, he was going to train physically.

Thinking of an idea, Markus got into the position of a push-up. Then, focusing his strength in a single arm, he decided to push himself up, strengthening the arm with magic. Then, grunting, he pushed himself on the ground with both arms, his body raised **(A.N. - Basically push-ups with his body in the air).**

Grunting and huffing, Markus slowly released one hand, putting all his weight into his reinforced arm. He wobbled, but roughly managed to hold himself in the air.

Groaning, Markus got to work.

 **XXX**

Thalia slowly awoke from her nap - when did she even fall asleep? - and was resting a nice comfy bed. With a pillow and everything. She wasn't in her cabin. The slight breeze in the air told her of that. So where was she?

A grunt from beside her tore her from her thoughts. She turned to see Markus doing one-armed push-ups with his body in the air. He was slowly moving, his body caked in sweat and his face completely red.

Thalia took the time to admire his determination and his tensed arm, with his muscles contracting as he pushed himself down, and his bandaged arm behind his waist. She slapped herself to get herself together.

This time she remembered the reason that she'd passed out was because she overexerted herself from drawing on too much of her powers. But she didn't remember a bed being here. Markus must've gotten it for her.

Smiling at his actions, Thalia rose from her bed, stretching slightly. Markus took notice of her movements. Dropping his body to the ground in a heap, he panted, his body wracked with exhaustion.

Smirking, Thalia decided to take a shot at him. "Wow, you must be fat if you can't lift yourself off the ground."

"S-shut, huff, up, Thunder Thighs," Markus panted, his mind not coming up with a good insult and decided to say the next best thing that came to his head.

Thalia raised her eyebrow. "Thunder Thighs? Really? That's the best you could come up with, Barnacle Brain?"

Delirious, he gazed towards her legs that weren't covered from the blanket. He grinned. "Well, you do have nice thighs."

She spluttered at his retort, blushing cutely. "P-perv."

He continued grinning. "It's true. And if you have nice thighs, then you have an amazing as-" Markus had to pull himself off the ground to keep himself from being skewered by Thalia's spear. "How the hell did you summon that thing so quickly?!"

"Just shut up and die!" she yelled, eyes sparking with electricity. She raised her spear, ready to pierce him.

"Aw, come on. You can't have a little fun once in a while?" Markus had to immediately dodge to stop Thalia from piercing his dick. "What the fuck, woman?!"

"Oh, I'll show you fun," Thalia smirked, a sadistic gleam in her eyes.

Gulping, Markus actually feared for his health. And he was slightly exhausted from his exercise. "Would it help if I said I was sorry?" Markus quickly ran, even using super speed, to outrun Thalia, who was on a warpath. He definitely didn't want anything vital (namely his 'precious') to be skewered.

 **XXX**

Markus had come from buying several books and DVDs on karate, kung fu, kenpō, jujitsu and Muay Thai. As well as buying videos on fencing and sword-fighting. At least, the European and Japanese version of sword-fighting. He made his way to his cabin, which had a TV and a portable DVD player.

The reason he had rounded all of these books was because he wanted to test the limits of his 'Speed Thought' spell. He could learn practically anything as quick as possible depending on the increase that he had placed on his brain. But he knew that he had to be careful. Demigod or not, the brain could only handle so much thoughts before it overloaded.

Plus, this was the quickest and greatest way he could brush up on his martial arts training. He didn't buy a book or DVD on taekwondo because he was already proficient and could watch videos online.

Heading towards the Poseidon cabin, he promptly kicked Percy out so he could focus. His brother was annoyed, but he promised to pay him a favour if he did this for him. Nodding in thanks and eager to hold him to his word, Percy left the cabin.

Starting with the books first, he sat down on his bed. Putting them in a pile, he decided to start on the karate book first. Activating his 'Speed Thought' spell, his mind sharpened and his thought process sped up drastically. Practically boosting his brain to four times the normal, he used kinetic energy to speed up his movements, basically speed-reading the whole book.

After he was done with the karate book in a matter of minutes, he moved onto the kung fu book. And breezed through that. Then the kenpō. Then the jujitsu. And finally the Muay Thai.

As he put the final book down, Markus groaned as his mind was practically assaulted with thoughts that he had read off the books. The thoughts were so vast and broad that Markus' nose bled from the influx.

"Horse, Crane, Cat and Forward Stances, Stability, Mobility, Front Twist... urggh..." Markus groaned as he speed-spoke every term of knowledge that he had read. Summoning water from the vapour in the air, he healed himself mentally of the small brain damage he had received. His mind was sharpened, his brain working overtime and his thoughts becoming more clear.

He sighed as his mind settled to normal, his spell allowing him to absorb the knowledge and add it to his own. Markus practically knew all the stances, techniques and workings of each martial art. How to fight, to train his body, how to steady his breathing, etc. He was once again in awe of the advantages he had. He learned five martial arts in a matter of minutes, when it would take normal people years.

He grinned. He was so going to abuse this power even more. But first, he was going to tone down the potency of the spell. Just because he could heal from the injuries, didn't mean it was safe to use it like that.

Putting in the DVDs on sword-fighting, he made himself comfortable by lying on the bed and opening a bag of popcorn and Coke that he had bought along the way. Pressing play on his remote, he grinned as he watched the DVDs.

 **XXX Roughly five hours later XXX**

Markus stumbled out of his cabin, his brain fried. This time he had sped up his thought-process to two times the normal. Less than what he used before, but still enough to pick up what he had learned.

Looking at the sky, Markus could tell that he was in his cabin for quite some time. So, it was time to test what he had learned.

Heading to the arena, Markus readied himself. He didn't have a partner, so he set up several training dummies as practice. Positioning himself, he decided to go for karate first.

Focusing on the knowledge he had received, Markus attacked, striking at the dummies using several katas and moves. Age Zuki, Ashi Barai, several Ashi Waza, a Choku Zuki, etc. All of the knowledge flowing within him like a river. While his body wasn't particular trained for this specific art, it was trained heavily from physical training and combat. So it was fine.

When he finished, he inspected the damage. And he was awed. He knew that he could destroy each dummy with a single punch, so he decided to limit his strength to normal demigod standard. And yet the dummies had definitely seen better days. They weren't destroyed, but there were several dents and some pieces broken off that were the result of his strikes.

He grinned maliciously. This was so fucking amazing. He could now fight like a master when before he was a newbie. Pumping his fist into the air, Markus screamed, "I know kung fu!"

"Shut up!" a camper from the Hermes cabin yelled, trying to relax.

"Fuck you!" Markus retorted back to the kid.

Anyways, his progress in martial arts was now complete, with the additional physical training that he usually did. Now, time to get to work.

 **XXX**

The next day, Markus was training Silena in using a weapon and physical training.

The idea came to him when the two were hanging out, this time on the roof of the Aphrodite cabin. The two were cuddling, enjoying each other's warmth. And Markus asked Silena about any other abilities she had apart from the emotion-sensing she had. She replied that she just had her charmspeak and the emotion-sensing, plus slight shape-shifting abilites.

Not satisfied with that, Markus decided to train his girlfriend. At first, she wasn't fully on board with the idea, but relented when he told her that training was good for her, and that she could discover more of her abilities.

Although while she agreed, she wasn't really eager to spar with her workaholic of a boyfriend. Seriously, Markus spent the most amount of training than any other demigod she knew.

This was noticed when Markus asked for a small spar, no weapons or powers. She agreed.

Now, she was kicking herself for agreeing. Not even five seconds into the spar, she was lying on the ground, face-first. "Ow," she mumbled painfully.

Markus quickly was at her side, checking for injury. "Oh, Silena! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit so hard."

I-It's okay," Silena smiled, albeit painfully. "Just realized that I should never spar with you. Ever again."

Markus pouted. "I'm not that bad."

Silena just gave him a deadpanned look. "Really?"

"... Okay, maybe I do need to learn a little restraint."

"A little?"

Markus huffed while Silena smiled teasingly. He held out his hand, to which she grabbed onto. Lifting her up, he asked, "Don't you have anyone to help you spar then? What about Clarisse?"

At that, Silena's face fell, and Markus mentally kicked himself at reminding her about her. "She... apparently hasn't forgiven me for bring a traitor," Silena spoke, sadness creeping into her tone.

Markus frowned, comforting her by wrapping his arm around her. She nodded in thanks to his actions. "Have you talked to her about it?" He wasn't angry with Clarisse, since he was the exact same when he was still angry at Silena.

"I-I tried, but... she's still angry at me," Silena said sadly.

"I can go talk to her if-" Markus offered, but Silena shook her head.

"No," Silena denied. "No, it's my burden and my fault. I'll take responsibility. If she doesn't forgive me, then... I don't blame her." Markus made to argue but Silena just gave him a brilliant smile, making Markus wonder on how she was going to get Clarisse to possibly forgive her, since the girl was more stubborn than him. But... he was inclined to believe her.

"Fine," Markus sighed, making Silena to smile and quickly peck him on the lips, making him smile.

"Now, back to sparring," Markus said. This made Silena pout, but Markus refused to relent. "And no charmspeak," he warned her when she was about to say something. She pouted even more.

"You're a slave driver," Silena moaned.

Markus grinned. "I do it out of love, love."

Silena rolled her eyes. "So what do you want to train me in?"

"Depends. What weapons are you good at using?"

Thinking about it, Silena answered him. "Clarisse," she said the girl's name with sadness but quickly pushed past it, "taught me how to use a couple of weapons in the past, and I've kept up with using them. I can use a bow and a knife."

"Okay. There's no way in hell that I can help you with the first one," Markus said, getting Silena to snicker. Glaring at her, he continued. "And I can use a knife, but I'm not proficient in it."

Silena nodded. "Maybe you could-"

"Hey, Markus!" a voice called behind him. Both demigods turned to see Annabeth sprinting towards them. "Hey, I was wondering if- oh, hey Silena."

"Hi Annabeth," Silena greeted with a smile. "What do you need?"

"I kind of need Markus' help," she said with a nervous look on her face.

Raising an eyebrow, Markus said, "Annie, I'd love to, but I'm helping Sil-"

"Actually, I'm fine on my own," Silena interrupted with a smile, making Annabeth light up with joy and Markus to look at her in confusion. "I can train on my own. Besides, I need a break from dealing with this stamina monster."

Markus scoffed. "Said the one who ended up on the floor not even after five seconds."

Silena glared at him, hands on her hips. "Well, at least I know how to use a bow."

"Oh, you did not just go there."

Silena smirked slyly. "Oh, I did. But don't worry, Markus. You'll get better. After twenty tries."

Markus glared at her, Annabeth snickering at her retort. Turning to her, Annabeth ceased her laughter, though there was a smile at her lips.

"Fine, I'll help you," Markus agreed. Then he smirked evilly. "But not without a parting gift."

"And what would that be?" Silena asked, feeling a shiver run down her spine.

Smirking, Markus summoned a speed clone and made it head to the Poseidon cabin. After a few seconds, it came back with the arm and ankle weights that he wore pre-ritual. "I just thought that you would need a little... motivation in your training."

Silena backed away slowly, fearing for her safety. "T-That's okay," she stuttered. "There's no need to go that far."

"Nonsense," Markus smiled devilishly, the clone holding her struggling form while he quickly put on the weights on each limb. After putting them on her, she struggled to hold her body, almost collapsing due to the new weight on each limb.

He turned to the speed clone, passing his guns along to him. "You have my permission to use these to... motivate her."

The speed clone nodded gleefully. "Thank you!"

Turning to a frightened Silena, he gave a smirk so evil that Hades would approve of it. "Now," he said lowly, "run."

Silena didn't need to think twice as she ran, looking like the weights weren't even bothering her. The speed clone followed after, shooting at her feet purposefully to get her to move faster. "Faster, faster!" the clone barked as it's creator's girlfriend ran. "I've seen old ladies move faster than that, whelp!"

"... You are evil," Annabeth spoke, shuddering at the torture Silena was suffering. She reminded herself not to piss him off too much.

Markus grinned happily. "I know. So, what do you need?"

"I want you to train me in martial arts," she said firmly.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think I'm qualified to teach you martial arts?" He wasn't denying it, nor would he send her away. He was just curious as to how she believed him to be qualified.

Annabeth gave him a deadpanned look. "Because Mark from Cabin Five kept on complaining as to how you kicked his ass in unarmed combat. Several times."

Markus grinned. "Oh, yeah." He remembered that, brief as it was. He wanted to test out his new 'martial art' self. So, he challenged Mark from the Ares cabin to a spar, no weapons. Mark thought it was an easy win as, apart from Clarisse, he was considered to be the best at wrestling out of most of the campers. So he agreed.

He quickly came to regret his choice. As soon as the match started, Markus quickly disarmed him with his arm tied behind his back and had Mark kneeling on the ground. Furious, the son of Ares demanded a rematch, which Markus agreed to. And kicked his ass faster than before using only two moves. He'd stormed away from the arena, pissed the hell off at being embarrassed in front of dozens of campers.

"That was fun," he said, grinning. He then looked at the daughter of Athena. "So you want me to train you?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah."

"What martial art do you want me to train you in?" he asked seriously, since he had to know what she wanted to be taught. While he had learned all of his skills only recently, he became proficient at performing all the techniques. He was no master, as he would need experience for that, but he was very adept.

"Which ones are you good in?" Annabeth asked, curious.

"Uh... karate, kung fu, kenpō, jujitsu and Muay Thai," Markus listed, counting off his fingers, shocking Annabeth. "Oh, and taekwondo."

"H-how do you know so many martial arts?" she asked, shocked. She'd only seen him perform some taekwondo, but she'd never even seen him perform any other fighting. "It takes people years to learn just one martial art. How do you know so many? More importantly, how are you so good at all of them?"

Markus shrugged, grinning. "I spit in the face of normality."

Annabeth's eyes twitched at the vague answer.

"But like I said before: which one do you want to be taught?" Markus asked again.

"Uh, which do you think is the best one?" she asked unsure. She felt a little shocked that she was asking someone else for help. Usually, she was the one who had the answers. But when it came to fighting, she practically knew nothing. Sure, she knew how to fight properly, but she didn't know the full mechanics. Which was a little shameful, since Athena was also the goddess of battle.

Markus looked up and down her figure, getting her to blush slightly. "W-What are you doing?" she asked, embarrassed.

"Checking your figure," he answered nonchalantly. He wasn't being perverted, he was checking her figure to see which style would suit her. "You body is obviously feminine, so it's more slender and thinner than my build. I find Muay Thai and jujitsu to be my favourites, since the first one is similar to boxing and requires you to use almost all of your body, and the last one is fast-paced and awesome. But you would be more suited to karate, possibly kung fu. Your build is slender, so you can perform several of the katas. And the other ones won't seem to suit you."

Nodding her head and coming to a decision, she said, "I'd like to train in karate, please."

Markus nodded. "Okay. But first, you're going to need to train. It's no good learning the skills if your body can't handle it. So," he said with a grin, making Annabeth shudder in fear for herself, "let's begin."

Annabeth quickly came to regret asking Markus for help, as she was beaten down so many times that by the end of the day, she looked like a giant bruise.

 **XXX**

Markus was in his cabin, playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2006. And it apparently sucked. Like, really sucked.

Now that's not to say that the game was totally bad. The music was awesome, the story was interesting and he generally enjoyed the game. But the gameplay... the glitches... Markus chose not to comment on it. Reviewers said it was bad, but he didn't think it was this bad. Like what the fuck? He'd experienced so many glitches while playing that his mood was soured.

As he played the game, Markus went over everything that had happened over the last couple of days. It seems that everyone was affected by a training bug, suddenly developing a great interest in training. Which was good.

Thalia had gotten better at using lightning. She could now form several constructs of lightning and use the element only slightly better than him. He did have better control, however, so there was that. However, she'd only made slight development in manipulating wind. The main reason was because of her fear of heights. Markus had tried to get her over it, from suggesting hovering in the air, to carrying her to the top of the climbing wall and making her look down. Each time she panicked and started hyperventilating. She was getting slightly better, though the progress was very slow.

Percy was doing well in terms of unarmed combat. Mainly because his speed clone had him spar with it, with no breaks at all. Each fight had the son of Poseidon battered and bruised so badly that he had to use his water healing every time. Which Markus took advantage of to beat the shit out of him again. But through this, Percy was getting slightly better at using his fists rather than Riptide all the time, which was a plus.

Silena had also gotten better in terms of combat. Although him leaving her to get shot at while wearing weights left her angry at him for a whole day. It took a lot of convincing to get her to forgive him. Though the image of her sweaty form wearing workout clothes was beautiful in his eyes.

Getting himself together, he got back on track. Anyway, Silena was making excellent progress with the bow. She went to some Apollo children for tips. Which they agreed to. Although they were way too happy at the offer. Markus had to step in and threaten all of them that if they did anything other than teach her - and if they even looked at her in any way - he would practically ruin them. Silena was annoyed at him being overprotective, but Markus just told her that it was boyfriend instincts.

With Annabeth, he had her training physically so that she could perform better with karate. Which consisted of her wearing weights that he had received from the Hephaestus cabin and having her do laps around the arena. It may have been considered a bit harsh, but there was no way she could fight without conditioning her body properly. At the end she was huffing and panting and cursing at him with every curse word she knew, English and Greek. But the results were evident.

After that he started teaching her the katas for karate and how they worked. Despite feeling exhausted Annabeth was thankful for the training.

Markus paused on his game to examine the new figurine on his keychain. Along with Wavebreaker, Beowulf and Red Queen, a trident figurine was added to the collection.

He had received a trident from Poseidon. It was delivered by a merman had a good relationship with Poseidon. His name was Bill, who was an ichthyocentaur. He came from the canoe lake and asked specifically for Percy and himself. Stating that he had 'overdue birthday gifts' from Poseidon. For Markus, he had given him a beautifully crafted trident and several scrolls of Atlantean spells, just for Markus.

Markus would forever deny ever squealing like a girl and thanking Bill as well as Poseidon through Iris-message. The god smirked, before saying that he would never forget that moment. Markus tried to heavily deny it, but Poseidon wouldn't agree.

Percy had received another sword with instructions on how to dual-wield. Percy was shocked, as he never even thought of the idea of dual-wielding with swords. But Poseidon had explained that, since he was a natural swordsman, the process could come easier to him. Markus had asked as to why he hadn't received a sword, but Poseidon had said that he already did. Pouting, Markus accepted his gift.

The naming of the weapons were left to them. Markus named his spear Tsunami while Percy named his Lowtide. Markus taunted Percy about his poor name choosing. Percy stuck his tongue out at him.

Markus had practically devoured all of the Atlantean spells. Some of them were essentially water-based spells. At first, he didn't see the need for them, as he could use water without magic. But when discovering what the scrolls contained, he took back what he said. There was different applications of water that he hadn't thought of. Like using rain to create flying needles. Or using hail storms for actual damage. Others contained enchantment spells that could basically boost all of his stats, similar to how when he stepped into water. Except he didn't need a water source now. And these spells only worked for sea-beings, like him and Percy.

He didn't use his 'Speed Thought' spell, since he was in no rush to read them and he was fascinated with the spells and enchantments. They were much different than normal Greek magic. Atlantean magic was much more ancient and powerful. While it didn't have much versatility, it was still powerful and very useful. Markus was glad Poseidon had given them the scrolls. Plus Tsunami was perfect in his hands, like Wavebreaker was. Must've been because it was a weapon forged in the sea and he had the power of the sea in his veins.

Turning off the game, he contemplated something. He was proud at the rate in which he was going. His knowledge on his magic and unarmed combat have increased drastically. And his use of his demigod powers increased the more he used them. And yet, he wanted to take another risky gamble. But not with the Greek side. It was time he tried another route. He knew that his idea was very arrogant and impulsive, but he was already both of those things. So why not?

Performing an Atlantean spell that he had read somewhere, he controlled the water vapour in his cabin to form a large body of mist. But instead of forming an Iris message, he chanted a spell that allowed him to contact beings who had strong ties with the sea.

Putting in enough magic, Markus contacted the one being who had helped him come so far in his water manipulation. The mist started to form an image similar to an Iris-message. The image shown was centred near Japanese waters.

The being who he wanted to talk to came into view. "Brat!" Ryūjin announced, surprised. "Surprised to see you. What do you want?"

"Ryūjin," Markus nodded in greeting. "I need to talk to you about something." Taking a breath to ask the god what he wanted, he spoke. "Do you think you can get me contact with Susanoo, the Shinto god of the seas and storms?"

 **Finished. God, this chapter was a lot to write.**

 **This was really a development chapter, where not a lot of action happened. Still, I think it was pretty good. Markus learnt more martial arts using his 'Speed Thought' spell, experimented with the demonic leech in his arm, as well as got a new weapon. Not to mention the others are getting stronger as well. Yay.**

 **If you want details on Tsunami, think of how Aquaman's trident looked in the Justice League film.**

 **Anyway, as stated, next chapter Markus will meet with Susanoo, who'll help him for his quest for power. Not without a price, however. Along with that, Markus' training will take place in Japanese temples, and be taught Shinto magic and training from Susanoo and Ryūjin. Fun time.**

 **Nothing really much to say here. Still happy about the progress of the story. And thanks to all those who favourited, followed, read and reviewed the story. Luv y'all.**

 **As for the Guest reviews, for those asking for Markus and Hecate to be friends again, they will. Though not for roughly four or five chapters.**

 **And also, two chapters or slightly more and we're at the start of the Titan's Curse. Yippee!  
**

 **Thanks! Read and Review!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter** **35:**

"Susanoo?" Ryūjin said in surprise. The dragon god narrowed his reptilian eyes. "And why the hell should I do that? In case your mortal stupidity overcame you for a second, I can't just grant you an audience with a god. And in case you forgot, Susanoo-sama is a major god. There's no way that he'd meet a measly half-blood. Especially one not even from our pantheon."

"I know that," Markus said, glaring at Ryūjin for the insult. "But I have a request. One that I hope that he'll be interested in."

"And that would be?"

"To become his champion."

The dragon god stared at him. And continued staring at him. And then he threw back his head and laughed loudly. He laughed so hard that he almost toppled over in the waters that he was standing in. Markus continued staring at him through the spell that he had created, not bothering to react to the god laughing at him. In all honesty, he couldn't blame him. His request was very odd, if not outrageous.

Still, the demigod didn't say or do anything but look blankly at Ryūjin, who had now stood up and wiped a tear from his eye. "I-I haven't l-laughed like that for almost a century. Y-You really know how to make someone laugh."

"Are you done?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because you know that I'm serious."

"I know," Ryūjin said, trying to look serious but ultimately failing. "That's what's so funny. If I didn't know you, I'd just dismiss you as being an arrogant and stupid brat. But I do know you, and I know that you're serious... you're still arrogant and stupid though."

"Maybe," Markus responded with a shrug. "But geniuses are the ones who come up with hypotheses and ideas. Fools are the ones ballsy enough to follow through with it."

"Spoken like a true fool," Ryūjin agreed with a smirk. "You're probably either ballsy or stupid to go through with what you're talking about."

"Possibly. But you didn't answer my question."

"And why would Susanoo-sama even allow an audience with you? What would make you so special?"

"Maybe the fact that a child of a storm god would ask another for help? Or maybe for the same reason that you're interested in teaching me?" Markus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. At best, Susanoo could listen to my request and agree, or decline. Worst case scenario, I'll get smote."

"And you're okay with that?" Ryūjin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course not. But I wouldn't be here if I wasn't eager to take risks. This is one of those moments."

Ryūjin sighed. "You stupid brat... fine. But if you do get smote, I hope your daddy won't come bitching to me. This was your idea."

"I agree," Markus nodded firmly.

"Fine, fine. Cut off the connection, brat. Hopefully, I come back with good news." With that, the dragon god swiped his hand through the image, cutting the connection and making the mist vanish from his side.

Markus dismissed the spell, sighing. "Hopefully, things will work out."

 **XXX**

Markus stood with the Hephaestus and Athena cabins, marveling at their creation.

What they looking at was the finished and completed Hestia cabin. And, in their opinions, it was magnificent.

The cabin was situated beside cabin twelve. There normally wouldn't have been enough space for the entire cabin, but Markus solved that problem using space-expansion charms, changing the space of the rather small area.

The cabin was brown in colour, with shades of red placed in the mix. At the roof of the cabin, a symbol of the hearth faced the others proudly and largely. There were large Greek columns at the four corners of the exterior of the cabin. Despite the structure and design put into it, the cabin looked simple but welcoming.

The interior had the same colour, but also a large central hearth that was roaring brightly. Surrounding it were several pillows and couches. There were numerous amounts of beds equipped with pillows and blankets of the softest materials, courtesy of Markus making frequent trips to several stores. There were also several counters and tables that were lined with plates, forks, spoons and knives. The utensils were charmed for the residents so that they could summon home-cooked meals for themselves to enjoy. Beckendorf - with help from Markus - was able to make the walls enchanted. Every resident of the Hestia cabin would be able to view the good times that they spend with each other, be it at Camp Half-Blood or elsewhere. The walls were able to capture the thoughts of all the residents, so that no one was jealous.

Attached to the wall were a TV screen with several game consoles. Markus put it there mainly because he wanted the unclaimed kids to enjoy themselves and to not forget the mortal world that was outside the camp. They were demigods, yes, but they were also half-mortal, which was something that he didn't want the kids to forget. Along with that was a loudspeaker for music. He also packed some snacks and drinks in a fridge that he managed to get. Although he did not want to mentally go over the process of attaining it.

The cabin was much larger than the Hermes cabin, so that everyone was able to fit. Hopefully there wouldn't be too much unclaimed kids, but Markus didn't hold his breath.

Markus was also able to get Hestia to personally bless the cabin. The more people who called the cabin their own home away from home, the stronger the feeling of hope would spread across the cabin as well as the strength and defense of the cabin.

All in all, the Hestia cabin was perfect in its creators' eyes.

"It's amazing," Annabeth said beside Markus, awed. "I-I mean, I know that we were going to complete it, but still... wow."

Markus chuckled beside her. "May want to close your mouth, Annie." Annabeth glared at him heatedly for that retort.

"I don't blame her," Beckendorf commented. "It _is_ amazing."

"True," Malcolm, a son of Athena, said behind him. His grey eyes scanned the cabin, looking for any major or minor detail in each part.

"Well, time to introduce the official Hestia cabin," Beckendorf said, a proud gleam in his eyes. He turned to look at Markus. "Would you like to do the honours?"

Markus blinked. "Wait, me?"

"Yeah, man," Jake Mason, a member of the Hephaestus cabin, said. "I mean, it was _your_ idea."

The other demigods nodded in agreement, though the Athena cabin did it grudgingly. Due to their hubris, they thought that since they were the better builders, they should introduce the cabin. But Markus did come up with the idea, and contributed the most. So they held their tongues.

Seeing this, Markus was a little nervous. Sure, it was his idea, but he didn't think that he would be the one introducing it. Nevertheless, he was up to the task. So, after speeding around to every cabin and asking for the residents to come to cabin thirteen.

When all of them came to the Hestia cabin, along with Chiron and Mr. D - who he did not remember inviting - Markus got ready for his introduction. After glaring at the others who were snickering at him.

Turning to the gathered crowd, Markus spoke. "I'm going to keep this simple. Behind me is the new Hestia cabin, otherwise known as cabin thirteen. After discussing it with the goddess Hestia, we decided to make this in honour of her. Since she's a maiden goddess, she doesn't have any children. So that is why the cabin is for the unclaimed children as well as the children of the minor gods that reside in the Hermes cabin." At their shocked faces, Markus smirked. "Yes, you heard me. This cabin is for those who's parents haven't claimed them, as well as those who's parents don't have a cabin. Think of it as your little home away from home. From this day forth, no more unclaimed children shall go to the Hermes cabin. Nor shall any children of the minor gods and goddesses be treated with disrespect by being shoved into the Hermes cabin. This cabin isn't just a normal cabin. It is a home to those who consider it a home. A home where you'll be treated with respect and not be brushed aside." Markus took a deep breath after saying that. Turning to look at the awed and elated looks he was receiving from several campers, he turned his gaze to look at the central hearth. He smirked in response to the wide smile on the goddess sitting at the hearth.

"While we -" he pointed to himself, the Athena and the Hephaestus cabin, "- built the cabin, all the thanks goes to Lady Hestia, who has given this new hope upon you all." His finger pointed to the goddess, the others following where he was pointing. Hestia was shocked at all the attention now being on her. She blushed prettily, her cheeks flushed with gold. The sight was adorable on her current form.

Starting to applaud, Markus called out "Hestia!" "Hestia!"

Seeing this, the others copied his chant. "Hestia! Hestia! Hestia!"

By now, the entire camp was chanting the goddess' name. "HESTIA! HESTIA! HESTIA! HESTIA!" Everyone was applauding her, some of the campers crying a little at now having a place to call home, along with the children of the minor gods getting a little respect, even if they didn't get a cabin. This was a close second.

Hestia had slight tears of happiness trailing down her cheeks, very happy that people were thankful of her for giving hope to many of the campers. Turning her tearful eyes to the one who came up with the idea, she mouthed 'thank you' to Markus, who nodded back. He was simply happy that she was getting the respect that she deserved.

Suddenly, Annabeth stepped forward, raising her hand to halt the applause. After a moment, the applause died down a little, though they did it reluctantly. "While we all contributed to building this cabin, it wasn't us who came up with the idea." Smiling slyly, she pointed to Markus. "It was Markus who came up with the idea and consulted the goddess. It was him who contributed the most and got each cabin to help. All hail Markus Henderson, Hero of the Unclaimed!"

All the campers broke into applause. "Hero of the Unclaimed!" they shouted out, some in thanks, others in glee.

Markus blinked at the title and the applause. "What? No! I'm not a damn hero!" He quickly turned his head to glare at the smirking Annabeth. "You little bit-"

"All hail the Hero of the Unclaimed!" Beckendorf and Jake applauded behind him, smirking. They, like Annabeth, knew that he didn't like the notion of being a hero. So this was a chance at teasing him about his new title that they came up with.

"Shut up! Shut the hell up!" Markus' shouts were blocked out by the deafening cheers from the crowd.

"I think our hero deserves some praise," Beckendorf said towards Annabeth, smiling.

"Yes," Annabeth said, smiling slyly. "I think he does."

"No! I said no! Don't you dare!" Markus' shouts and threats were ignored as Beckendorf and Jake grabbed him by both his arms. Before he could break out of their hold, both sons of Hephaestus threw him into the crowd, who caught him. What followed after was Markus crowd-surfing along the raised hands of the crowd. Each hand held him up before passing him on to another set of hands.

"Hero of the Unclaimed! Hero of the Unclaimed!" the crowd chanted.

"Get me down!" Markus shouted, though he was ignored. "You guys are going to pay in full - oi, watch where you're hands are!" He shouted that last part when a hand pinched his ass.

The crowd of demigods continued cheering, with Markus being overly grouchy at his title. Still, he - along with everyone else - had smiles on their faces as they celebrated.

That day, everything changed at Camp Half-Blood. Hope was given to practically all those who lacked it.

 **XXX**

Markus was doing one-handed handstand push-ups in the arena, building up his physical strength.

Since the celebration yesterday, practically every camper, nymph or naiad referred to him as the 'Hero of the Unclaimed'. Some did it out of thanks, while others did it out of teasing or mocking. He was annoyed every time they did that. Seriously, he didn't want anything to do with being a hero, and then they stack this on top of him! Honestly, the nerve. Besides, the title wasn't even intimidating or badass. It sounded so cliché.

All his friends wouldn't stop calling him that. Only the threat of pranking the shit out of them made them back off. Though all of them were practically smiling as they did it. Bastards.

In the morning, he went to meet Hestia to see her reaction. When he saw the goddess, instead of being in her child form, she was in the form of a grown woman, about twenty-eight. When she saw him, she stood up and hugged him, whispering 'thank you' over and over again. Markus just hugged her back, thankful that she was happy. Plus, her aura had increased drastically, for some reason. She explained that it was due to the prayers and thanks that she had received from all the residents of the Hestia cabin.

Speaking of which, the unclaimed children and kids of the minor gods enjoyed their new cabin. Especially the gaming systems. Markus showed younger kids how to play the games, with him showing them skills and tricks needed for each game. Before, they all looked gloomy and sad. This was what Markus saw on his first day at Camp Half-Blood. Now, they looked way more cheerful and happy. Which made Markus a little happy.

Another good thing that came from this was that much less campers joined Luke's side. Now that they had hope and were treated with a little more respect - maybe not to their parents but to themselves - they had less of a reason to join the Titans. This wasn't actually Markus' intentions, but it worked all the same.

The Hermes cabin now had much less campers since yesterday, something that the children of Hermes were grateful for. Since then, the Stoll twins had offered their thanks to Markus and said that they owed him a favour. Markus waved away the offer, saying it was fine. The twins insisted though. So Markus said that he would think about it.

He was happy about all the praise and thanks that he had received. He could just do without the title. He cringed every time someone called him by it.

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Markus thought about his offer that he had given to Ryūjin. In all honesty, he wasn't exactly sure that Susanoo would even accept his offer. Or even hear him out. But Markus was banking on the fact that Susanoo would be so astounded by his request that he would want to meet him. A foolish thought, but when has his plans ever been smart or sane?

The reason he even wanted to be made Susanoo's champion was because, in Shinto mythology, he was one of the top-tier gods, with his sister Amaterasu and brother Tsukuyomi matching him in terms of power. Plus, he was a storm god as well as a sea god, so, with his divine heritage, he would be compatible with the powers that he may receive.

His plans were a bit suicidal, he had to admit. But Markus had made it out just fine. Fighting the Cetus, meeting with Ryūjin and taking the god up on his offer, meeting with Savitr, they all worked out fine. Even tricking Cerberus into-

Markus almost toppled over from his handstand push-ups in surprise, but managed to right himself and keep him going.

He completely forgot about the three-headed dog. In all honesty, he only remembered the monster just now. And because of that, he remembered the promise that he made to the dog. About how he would visit and show him other songs as well as the Aquaman theme song. At first, he only said that because he felt guilty about leaving Cerberus to meet with Hades. And he hadn't given any thought to his promise.

Markus was going to ignore it, but he remembered the sad look on Cerberus' face when he left him. It suddenly made him feel sad. The thought of Tyson flashed into his mind for some odd reason. He was considered a monster, and yet he was gentle. Plus, he was also his brother, but still...

The thought made Markus think that monsters did in fact have feelings and emotions, despite not having souls. He wasn't developing sympathy for all monsters, but the revelation did make him pause on the mental image of Cerberus.

He groaned, dropping from his push-ups. "I'm developing a conscience again. I personally blame Tyson, the softie that he is."

Drawing water vapour from the air, he washed off any remaining sweat from his body. He cracked his neck, wondering how he was going to go about visiting Cerberus. He could easily run to Los Angeles and get past Charon. Just bribe the greedy bastard. Then again, he didn't have any room to talk... Anyway, getting in was easy. Getting out was the problem. He got out the first time with the gifts Poseidon had given him and the others. Now, he was limited.

He could turn into vapour and literally sneak past the ceiling in the Underworld. That could work. All he had to do was avoid Hades. The first time him and the others got off lucky. This time he had no such luck.

Well, he could think about it when it happened. Checking his iPod in his pocket (which he had bought recently, and downloaded some songs that he liked), he quickly went to his cabin, shooting a quick goodbye to Percy who was startled, and got some paper and snatched Riptide from his brother's pocket. Writing some notes for the others, he quickly explained where he was going to Percy, who was struggling to pick up on what he said.

Grinning like a loon, he dashed out of the Poseidon cabin and went to the Aphrodite cabin. Opening the door in a blur, he made his way to Silena's bed, where said girl was there. She blinked in surprise as he gave her a quick peck on the lips and dropped his note in her lap. Smiling, he dashed out of the cabin in a blur.

Summoning some speed clones, he handed them the notes to give to the others. Done with that, he equipped his 'speed gear', a name that he needed to change, fast. With that, he dashed out of the camp, creating a sonic boom. He loved doing that each time he took off.

As he ran, he mentally went over his journey to the Underworld last time. By transport, him and the others would've made it to Los Angeles in roughly three or four days (discounting all the monster fights, side quests and Lotus Casino). On his own, pre-Savitr blessing, he could've made it in possibly one or two on his own. Now? Well, it was time to find out.

Markus blitzed through New York, feeling the breeze pass his skin. He should really start to enjoy the runs that he took. It was exhilarating.

Having popped his earphones in his ears, Markus was listening to some music on his iPod. His selection of music was somewhat limited, as he had went to Will Solace for any advice on what to listen to. Knowing Markus, Will had said that rock, metal or pop music would do him good. Markus wasn't sure, but decided to trust him. After a moment of looking up some songs, Markus found a couple of favourite songs and bands/singers. His favourites were Linkin Park, Three Days Grace and Disturbed, with Indestructible being his current song that he was playing. The beat was really catchy, at least to him. He had some other songs by other artists, but the three bands were his favourite.

He hummed along with the song, blitzing past any incoming object in his way. Deciding to be playful, he performed several tricks while he dodged, be it jumping over cars, doing flips in the air, or performing zigzags in a certain direction. Huh, didn't know that he was so flexible.

Deciding that he didn't want to waste time, he increased his speed. He was already in Vegas. Taking a quick break, he stocked up on his high metabolism demand, that being eating pizzas, burgers and drinking cocktails. Ah, he loved Vegas. Well, minus the Lotus Casino, even if it did have games, manga and luxury.

Done with his food, he zipped past the Santa Monica beach and made his way into Los Angeles, into Procrustes old hideout. Checking his watch, he saw that he had made it in twenty-five minutes. Good, but could be better.

He entered the doorway leading to DOA Recording Studios, making his way up to Charon's desk. Charon's tortoiseshell glasses peered down upon him. Markus met his gaze without flinching, staring defiantly back.

"So, you're back," Charon said with a lazy drawl. "What, escaping the Underworld once wasn't enough for you? You want to try again?"

"Lovely to see you too, Charon," Markus said, bored. "Listen, I'm here to fulfil a promise that I made. By the way, did you get your pay raise?"

Charon glowered at the demigod. "Don't remind me! Instead of paying me like the good lil' ferryman that I am, Hades throws a bitch fit due to your actions, and refuses to pay me! So what the Hades makes you think that I'm going to let you go through here?"

Holding out a pouch, Markus held it out to reveal it full of drachmas. He had gotten this much by converting some of his mortal money to drachma. The service wasn't known, but the children of Hermes ran the entire money trading system, with Hermes being in charge of the whole thing. And because he had an infinite amount of mortal money, he had an unlimited amount of drachmas. Awesome trade-off.

Charon drooled at the amount, but he managed to reign in his greed. "Hold up, kid. That trick won't work again. You ain't gonna pull a fast one on-"

"I'll give you 10% of this amount," Markus offered, holding up the amount in his hand.

"50%," Charon spoke before he could control himself.

"15%."

"45%."

"20%. Take it or leave it."

"Alright, fine," Charon growled, snatching up the amount offered. "Least I was able to get more money. I need more Italian suits."

Markus raised an eyebrow at the ferryman. "You're an immortal ferryman who sails upon the River Styx. What the fuck would you need Italian suits for?"

"Because they're stylish," Charon answered simply with a shrug.

"...Can't argue with that," Markus said after a moment. It wasn't a valid reason, but you couldn't argue against fashion.

A quick descent and a trip across the Styx later, Markus was reaching the gates of the Underworld. Seeing the being that he wanted to meet, Markus took notice of Cerberus' three set of eyes look upon him. The three heads growled, before recognising who it was.

Eyes wide with delight, Cerberus barked, rattling Markus' eye sockets and scaring off any passing ghosts.

"'Sup, boy?" Markus asked with a grin. He held his iPod up, showing the creature the device. "You want to listen to music, stay."

Cerberus looked impatient, but managed to stay in one place.

Grinning, he held up the iPod again. "Sit."

The three-headed dog sat on its haunches, squeezing any unlucky ghost on its ass. Markus smiled. "Good boy."

Slowly, he walked towards the dog. Gesturing for the creature to lower itself, Markus was able to sit on the top of its middle head gently. Cerberus seemed to like this, as he barked happily.

Smiling down at the heads, he spoke. "I don't know if you'll like the songs, but they're much better than the last one I played."

With that, Markus played several songs that he had in his selection. From 'Breaking the Habit', 'Papercut' and 'In the End' by Linkin Park, to 'Time of Dying', 'Pain' and 'I Hate Everything About You' from Three Days Grace. Cerberus barked loudly and hung out his tongue when he liked a song, or either growled deep in his throat when he didn't like one. Maybe he should play some pop music next time.

Cerberus was so happy that one of his heads craned its neck so that it could lick Markus' face happily. "Ugh, gross," Markus said, quickly wiping his face from the large amount of saliva that Cerberus gave him. But he was smiling as he did so.

He rubbed each head, making Cerberus whine happily. It was nice, hanging out with Cerberus. Kind of like hanging out with a pet. He guessed that he was kind of jealous that Percy had his own Pegasus, while he didn't. But still, the mood was nice. Although he never expected to say that while in the Underworld.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, so he was surprised when a voice interrupted his sessions with Cerberus. "Ah. So you are the one who has entered my husband's kingdom."

Markus whirled his head to look at the person who had spoke. And was speechless.

The one who had spoke was a beautiful woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had brown eyes that were so dark that they looked almost black. She had long curly black hair that looked lustrous and wore a crown of flowers. She wore an Ancient Greek dress that kept on shifting to different shades of brown.

The goddess - Markus knew she was one - had a resemblance to Katie, which surprised him. But Markus wasn't focused on that. He was examining her figure. Especially her dress. Markus guessed that underneath her clothes was a lithe and slender figure that he desperately wanted to see. At this moment, he really wished he had X-ray vision at the moment. Markus raked his eyes over her beautiful form: the large swell on her chest, showing that she had an ample bust, her wide hips and long legs that were slightly revealed through her dress. Before Markus could continue his examination, the goddess interrupted him. "As flattering as your gaze and thoughts are, I suggest that you perish them. I wouldn't want my husband to get jealous," she said with mirth in her eyes, not in the least offended by Markus' gaze.

Markus blushed slightly at being caught at that. He was _really_ starting to hate his runes, despite the benefits they offered him. And he already had a girlfriend, dammit!

Seeing Cerberus whine and bow slightly to the figure, Markus had already identified the goddess. "You're Persephone, goddess of springtimes and Queen of the Underworld," Markus said.

"Well, it's nice to see that you know of me," Persephone said. "So, Markus Henderson. What can I do for you?"

"You know of me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I know of one of the two sons of Poseidon who were accused of stealing my husband's Helm of Darkness and managed to escape the Underworld?"

"Oh, yeah," Markus said, as if he just remembered the thought. "That's me. That reminds me: your husband's an asshole."

Instead of getting offended, Persephone threw back her head and laughed loudly. The sound was melodic to Markus' ears. "T-this is t-the first time I've heard someone insult him in his own kingdom. I think I'm starting to like you."

"Thanks. I like me too."

"My, you are cheeky. Humour is something you rarely find in the Underworld."

"I know. You poor thing, you must be so depressed down here, with Hades and his pasty self to keep you company. You have my condolences."

Persephone giggled. She was about to say something but was interrupted by the Underworld rumbling, the ground shaking.

Instead of being worried, Persephone had an annoyed expression. "Ugh, he's so impatient." She turned to Markus. "Hades has sent me to retrieve the person who entered the Underworld. Meaning you. By the way, why are you here?"

"I came to give Cerberus some comfort via music."

The goddess blinked at his response. "...You came to comfort Cerberus..." she said slowly. She then shook her head slightly. "I don't know if I should call you stupid, brave or kind-hearted."

"I'd prefer all three, if I'm being honest," Markus said cheekily. "They all add up to my charm."

She laughed again. Honestly, how the hell was the Queen of the Underworld so bright and cheery? He wished Persephone was there when he first came here. Maybe Hades would've been more pleasant.

"As entertaining as you are," Persephone said, controlling her laughter, "I do believe we should meet my husband."

Markus sighed. "Fine." He slid down the side of Cerberus. The dog whined sadly, but Markus patted his side. "Don't worry, boy," Markus consoled. "I'll be back. Not like Hades will stop me anyway." That got Cerberus to bark happily, making him wag his tail widely.

Facing the goddess, he sighed dramatically. "Well, let's go meet the undead bastard."

"Indeed," Persephone sighed along with him. "Let us be off."

And so, Markus followed the queen through the EZ DEATH line. All of the ghosts parted when she passed by and bowed in her presence. As the two made their way through the Fields of Punishment, Markus was struggling not to look at the goddess' swaying hips and large ass. _Have a girlfriend, have a girlfriend, have a girlfriend...,_ Markus chanted in his head, overpowering his lust and managed to look at her back. Just her back.

As if sensing his thoughts, Persephone looked back at him and winked slyly, smirking. Markus did his best not to react to that.

The walk to Hades' palace seemed much shorter than when he last came here, which was good. When they passed Persephone's garden, the goddess gave an adoring and longing look to the garden. Then she continued walking, Markus following her.

They neared the gates, with skeletons holding their guns guarding the place and the realistic images of death carved into the walls and surfaces. The skeletons bowed in Persephone's presence, but she paid them no attention. Reaching the gate, she pushed them open with ease.

Turning to face the demigod, she warned, "As much as I hate him, you should be careful in his presence."

"I'll do my best," Markus nodded with mock seriousness.

Persephone's lips twitched upwards. "Don't die too soon. It'd be a shame to see you as a ghost in this dreadful place."

"Least I'd get an awesome afterlife if I saw you every day," Markus teased.

She smiled. With that, the two of them walked into Hades' throne room.

The god looked the same as when Markus had first seen him, with his soul-attached clothes, pale demeanor, and dark and powerful aura. He had his helm on his head, which shifted into different images, a crown of thorns, a dragon's head, a wreath of bones, etc. Hades' presence was much more powerful than before, which must've been because of his symbol of power attached to his head, but Markus didn't falter. Nor did he bother to listen to the tiny voice in his head telling him to submit to the god. He was much stronger now than he'd been almost two years ago.

"'Sup, uncle," Markus waved cheerfully, purposefully pissing off Hades.

The god looked at his wife with impatience, and then glared at the demigod. Persephone scoffed at him and joined him by sitting in her smaller, more colourful throne.

"Markus Henderson," Hades spoke in his typical oily voice. "I thought that you'd be smart enough to not return here. It seems the stupidity of mortals astounds me even to this date. And should you not bow in the presence of a superior being? In his own home, no less?"

"That's only if you have my respect," Markus spoke back without fear. "I refuse to bow to you because you do not have my respect. You earn it. And you have done no such thing."

Hades' eyes glowed with power and burned with hellfire as he glared at him. "You dare speak to me in that tone, mortal?" he whispered furiously.

"I'll speak to you how I want to, Hades," Markus said, glaring back at the god. When he made to speak, Markus interrupted him. "Enough with the chitchat. What do you want?"

Hades' hands twitched, as if he was contemplating on whether or not to destroy him. "You are extremely lucky, boy. If not for you being your father's son, you would experience the most deadliest tortures in the Field of Punishment. And as for what I want? I want to know why you are here. It amuses me what reason you have to return to this place."

"Simple. I came here to comfort Cerberus."

"Cerberus?" Hades blinked. Then he narrowed his eyes. "That's your reason? As if your stupidity could not astonish me even more. Cerberus is a guard dog. A beast. Nothing more. He has no need for such pathetic needs like comfort."

"... As if you weren't an ass already," Markus insulted, narrowing his eyes. Sure, Cerberus may have been a guard dog but he still had emotions. "No wonder this place is so depressing. Your feelings represent this place perfectly." Studying Hades' face, Markus got the strangest sense of déjà vu. His pale face, pure black hair, black eyes, oily expression. Where had he seen them before? Like he had met someone with similar features to him before. Not from a god, but from a... demigod.

And suddenly, Markus realized where he'd seen Hades' features before. Lotus Casino. Reading manga. Bumping into a little kid and meeting his sister. His eyes were wide as he came to a conclusion.

"You're childish insults are of no concern to me," Hades spoke, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, if you have no other reason. You shall remain here for eternity with no escape and suffer in my kingdom for your insults towards me."

Narrowing his eyes, Markus smirked. "You know, I didn't think I'd want to see your face more than once. But it looks like I've seen it three times, four if you count now."

"What are you talking abo-"

"Nico and Bianca di Angelo," Markus spoke suddenly, causing Hades to stiffen. "They're your children, aren't they? Man, I really pity them."

"How do you know those names?" Hades spoke chillingly, black energy crackling around his form in rage and fear. Markus paid no mind to the display of power.

"I met them in the Lotus Casino," Markus answered with a smirk. "And here I was actually respecting you. Seems like your the same as your brothers, breaking the oath on the Styx. What, one of you do it so the others follow?"

Persephone glared at Hades. "Those children of that _woman_ are still alive? I thought they perished!"

"Be silent, Persephone," Hades said through gritted teeth.

"But-"

"Silence!"

The goddess glared at her king, but held her tongue.

"I don't know how you know of those two," Hades spoke slowly, shadows drifting off his figure, "but if you have harmed a hair on their heads, so help me-"

Markus scoffed. "You think I'd hurt them to get back at you? Please. You're an ass, but I'd never stoop to your level. That would be insulting."

Hades visibly calmed down, though his body was still tense.

"So let me ask you a question: why are the two still in the Lotus Casino? They must've been there for gods know how long in real time? Trying to protect them because you broke your oath?"

"For your information, godling," Hades said, "they were born before the oath. I have not conceived them on a broken promise."

"Oh, good. So you're slightly redeemable, then. Let me guess, you're trying to protect them from the King Whiner's wrath?"

Persephone's lips twitched at Zeus' nickname despite her anger, but Hades didn't react. "Yes, along with your father."

"My father wouldn't attack your children to get back at you. Unlike Zeus, he's not a hypocrite," Markus scoffed.

It was Hades' turn to scoff. "You do not know your father like I do, boy. He may have mellowed now but he is still a ruthless being who'd kill without hesitation. Mortals change over time, gods do not."

"Whatever," Markus said. "So when do you actually plan to release them from the Casino?"

"That is none of your business, boy," Hades snarled.

"It is my business because I consider them friends even after meeting them once! Do you even plan to release them and instead trap them? Or instead use them for the Great Prophecy?"

"Do not dare to accuse me of something that I would never do!" Hades bellowed, anger dancing in his eyes. "I would never use my children for those purposes! They're are my son and daughter! I will never let them suffer for some stupid prophecy that might not even be fulfilled! And when I release them is none of your business."

Markus almost smirked at seeing his reaction. "Well, at least you have a heart, as black as it is." Wanting to see if he could get something out of this, as well as save the two of them, Markus spoke again. "So you do plan on releasing them, then? Tell you what, Hades. Let's make a deal: when you release them, I will take them to Camp Half-Blood safely as long as you inform me when they're released. In exchange, I want something from you."

Hades sneered. "I do not need your services, boy. I have thousands of minions that could do the job easily."

"Yeah, but can you really trust them? After all, you sent the Furies after me and my brother and they were killed quite easily, no?" At Hades' frown at the matter, he continued. "Look, I don't see why you're against this. I'm doing both of us a favour. I save your kids and get them to safety and act as a bodyguard. Your kids are safe and I help them from your pale and undead ass. In return, I want, uh...," Markus paused at the end, deciding what he wanted. Riches? Nope. He was rich enough. And Hades didn't have anything that he wanted. Except... Markus smiled a cold smile.

"What? What is it that you want?" Hades asked angrily.

"I want... three souls from the Underworld," Markus requested. "Three Spartan souls."

"What? No!" Hades denied.

"Why? The offer benefits you greatly! Your children are safe, and you lose, like, what? Three souls out of a billion? It's a fair deal!"

Hades thought about it for a minute. Truthfully, the offer did benefit him. And losing a couple of souls wasn't really a loss. Still, he wasn't content. "What would you need the souls for?" Hades asked suspiciously. "You are not of my lineage, so you can't control them."

"Magical purposes," Markus said. He wasn't lying, just not telling the whole truth. "I merely wish to study them. And your children are safe once you release them. I'll even swear on the Styx, so long as you don't use that to your advantage. I'll protect your children, nothing more."

"... Fine," Hades said after a moment. "I accept your terms. Swear on the Styx that you'll protect them and bring them safely to your camp."

"You first," Markus said. "And I'll do it after."

"You do not trust me?" Hades asked with a raised eyebrow, offended.

"Paranoia is something that I'd trust more than your word," Markus said simply.

Growling, Hades spoke. "Fine. I swear on the Styx to provide you with the souls you desire and not to manipulate you further." A loud boom of thunder resounded in the palace.

Markus nodded. "And I swear on the Styx that I shall rescue Nico and Bianca di Angelo and take them to Camp Half-Blood safely." Another loud boom of thunder resounded in the palace.

Clicking his fingers, Hades summoned three souls that took that form of spheres. Nodding, Markus cast a wordless _Sagitta Spiram_ to the floor, creating a small crater and producing small rocks from the broken ground. He then used transfiguration to turn one of the rocks into a large jar. Picking it up, he wrote several containment runes over the thing, making sure that the souls would be contained.

At Hades' command, the three Spartan souls floated into Markus' jar. Quickly transfigurating one of the pebbles that he had made into a lid, he closed the jar, the runes taking effect by glowing brightly.

"It is done," Hades spoke with finality. "Now begone from my sight, lest I destroy you."

"Love you too, uncle," Markus said sarcastically. He made to leave, but not before giving one final message. " By the way, I had my wicked way with your wife. On your bed." Winking at Persephone, he transformed into a body of vapour and moved upwards, passing through the stalactites and ignoring the loud shout of "WHAT?!" from the Lord of the Underworld.

 **XXX**

Markus stood on top of the Tokyo Tower in the Special Observatory. He was waiting to meet Susanoo, who Ryūjin had managed to get contact with. Surprisingly, the storm god had agreed to meet with him. All Ryūjin had said to the demigod was to meet Susanoo on top of the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo, Japan. When Markus had asked how he was going to get there, the dragon god had transported him to the Tower and had warned him to be careful when speaking to the god.

So Markus was waiting to meet Susanoo while eating Takano ramen. When he was shown the food, he was a little sceptical on trying it out. Five minutes later, he had several bowls packed with him. The Asian dish was surprisingly delicious. Maybe he could get the stuff to be sold at Camp Half-Blood.

Instead of focusing on his food, though, Markus thought of the new rune that adorned his upper back, above his Yin and Yang tattoos. It wasn't really a rune, more of a magic tattoo. It was in the shape of the symbol for the Rage of Sparta in God of War. It was a bright gold colour.

This was essentially what he wanted when he had retrieved the three Spartan souls from Hades. The tattoo was filled with the remaining energy of the souls, which were bled dry. The reason for this was because he had read somewhere that dead souls still contained ambient energy. Not life energy, but soul energy. Markus didn't know the difference between the two, but he knew that soul energy was a link to necromancy and was used quite a bit in the art.

So he basically used a spell to sap the energy out of the souls and managed to contain it into a tattoo on his back. So he essentially had the Rage of Sparta boost, because he was able to access the energy in the tattoo and use it as his own. The good thing about his new boon was that it was good for three lifetimes. What that meant was that, because he had the soul energy of the Spartan souls, he technically had one as lot of energy from each soul. Meaning that, if he had taken the soul energy of one Spartan ghost, he could use the Rage of Sparta for one lifetime. Because he had sucked the energy out of three ghosts, he could use it for three lifetimes.

However, the energy wasn't infinite. If he used it too much, which was kind of ridiculous since he was going to use it for a last resort and it lasted up to gods know how long but still, he wouldn't have access to the Rage of Sparta at all.

Markus didn't know what had happened to the three ghosts, as when he had sucked all of their energy, they had disappitated, like mist. Were their souls destroyed or were they in a state of Limbo or something? Markus didn't know and couldn't find himself caring.

Anyways, Markus focused on his surroundings. The afternoon sun was glaring onto his back. The typically crowded tower was empty. Just when Markus thought that Susanoo had lied to him, he saw a man dressed in a black kimono with a haori depicting an ocean in a violent storm. The image was complete with crashing waves, thunderclouds and lightning. The odd thing about the images was that they were moving.

Looking at the man's face, it showed features of Asian descent with signs of old age. Nevertheless, the mans eyes were a youthful sky blue that brimmed with power. His hair was black and reached his shoulders.

"Well," the man said. His voice was deep and rich, making Markus shiver slightly at the immense power behind his voice. "You are the son of Poseidon that Ryūjin has taken an interest in. I can see why."

"Susanoo-sama," Markus said, nodding his head in greeting. He used the Japanese honorific because he was cautious of the god, so it'd be best to get on his good side. The only reason he was respectful to gods outside of the Greek Pantheon was because they actually helped him, even if it was for their own reasons. He couldn't say the same for the Olympians or Hades, save his dad and Hecate.

Susanoo smiled. "There is no need to be so formal with me, Markus Henderson. Ryūjin has informed me of your mannerisms. He described you as 'rude, arrogant and disrespectful, but actually worth a damn due to his potential'."

"Sounds like the scaly bastard," Markus said loudly, not even bothering to hide his words because Susanoo gave the okay.

Susanoo chuckled. "Yes, he is quite a troublesome brat. But enough about him. I'm interested in the offer that you made about becoming my champion."

"Yes," Markus nodded, wanting to get straight to the point. He ignored the shivers up and down his spine due to Susanoo's presence. "I would like to become your champion, ignoring my Greek heritage. I believe that due to my storm and sea affinity, you would be the best patron god to turn to."

"And because of your greed," Susanoo spoke without accusation.

"Yes," Markus nodded without shame. No point in denying it.

Susanoo's powerful eyes looked over Markus' form, making him squirm a little. After a moment, the storm god spoke. "Well, I can tell that you are a very powerful demigod," he complimented, making Markus mentally puff up his chest but physically nod in thanks. "And you are well-versed in the mystic arts. You have no knowledge on Shinto magic, do you?"

Markus shook his head.

"I see. Well, I have no reason to deny you being my champion. From what Ryūjin has told me, you are selfish, quick-tempered and power-hungry. But you are driven. Your goals are commendable, and you are a powerful demigod who will continue to grow stronger. Plus, your aspects of the sea interest me."

Markus was waiting for the 'but' in his statement. Nothing was ever easy.

"But that alone in not able to convince me," Susanoo said. Looks like Markus was right.

He sighed. "So what do you want me to do, then?"

Susanoo turned his gaze from Markus to look at the city below. "The Shinto Pantheon is one of the more peaceful pantheons that you'll meet. Nevertheless, there are still monsters that roam our lands to this day. One in particular has been a... thorn in my side."

"Yamata-no-Orochi," Markus said, knowing of the legend.

Susanoo nodded. "Yes. Even though I slated him thousands of years ago, he has found a way to come back, just as us gods have done. He has a reincarnation that takes the form of a human. He has inhabited the soul of his reincarnation, corrupting him and has practically become the same snake-dragon from before."

"And you want me to go kill this thing?" Markus asked with a little trepidation. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't think I'm capable of slaying something that can rival a god."

"True, but Orochi has been weakened," Susanoo reassured him. "Despite corrupting his reincarnate's soul, his powers have been weakened, due to not synchronising properly with the body and soul. Because of this, he does not have access to his full powers or form. So I ask that you slay Orochi and retrieve his Kusanagi for me."

"Isn't that the sword you got from slaying Orochi?" Markus asked, confused.

Susanoo frowned. "Yes. Although his version is a copy of the original imbued with his powers. It is not as strong or more powerful than the original sword, but it is still deadly. Retrieve the fake and slay Yamaha-no-Orochi's reincarnation, and you will be gifted with the title of 'Champion of Susanoo', as well as receive the original Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, wielded by Yamato Takeru."

Markus' almost popped out of their sockets due to how wide they were. He was going to receive a legendary sword from a dragon? That alone was almost worth fighting such a dangerous beast.

Wanting to be sure, though, Markus asked, " And you're sure that Orochi is weakened?"

"Positive," Susanoo responded. "Orochi is taking residence in an abandoned warehouse east of here, trying to gain more power. I trust that you'll be able to locate it. I wish you well, Markus Henderson, in your endeavour."

With that, the god was surrounded by a small whirlpool that covered his whole form. When the whirlpool faded, Susanoo was gone.

Markus sighed, packing up his ramen. "Going on a dangerous quest, killing a legendary and supposedly unbeatable monster... this is becoming a pattern." With that, he disappeared in a cloud of vapour.

 **XXX**

Markus walked into an abandoned warehouse, where he was walking through a corridor. His senses told him that no traps, at least no magical or supernatural ones. Walking up to a locked door, he spread out his senses again, sensing a large energy signature that wasn't moving or doing much of anything.

Markus sighed silently. The only advantage he had at the moment was the element of surprise. So let's keep it that way.

Casting a silencing charm around him, Markus summoned a condensed ball of crackling lightning in his hand. Aiming it at the door, with the sound silenced by the charm, he commanded it to extend into a spear and pierced the door and aiming directly for the energy signature in the room. Markus' senses told him that the person inside already moved, dodging the extended spear of lightning.

With that, Markus kicked down the door, knocking it off it's hinges and sending it towards the figure. The figure, which Markus knew it was Orochi, ducked under the sailing door, letting it smash into the wall.

The figure was male, Markus already knew that, but his features suggested otherwise. He had long silky hair that went down to the end of his back. His skin was chalk white, similar to Hades', and had golden eyes with a reptilian slit in the middle. He had purple tattoos on his cheeks and necks. He also wore a black bodysuit that showed his skinny and lanky frame with no shoes on his feet. When he grinned, his abnormally long and sharp canines poked out **(A.N. - Think of Orochimaru from Naruto, because that's who he's based off in appearance and power).**

"So," the man said in an unusually bored tone, like he was way too lazy, "Susanoo has sent a fool in hopes of slaying me. How pathetic. And you're not even of this Pantheon. That's just desperate and sad."

Markus didn't say anything, calling back his spear of lightning.

"What?" The man asked with a lazy drawl. "You're not even going to respond to witty banter? How bor-"

Markus chose that time to move, apparently disappearing from view to the naked eye. His attack was dodged by the man's sword that he had brought out of thin air. His blade had blocked the now revealed Tsunami **(A.N. - Appearance is based off Kusanagi sword in Naruto).**

"Oh?" Yamata-no-Orochi grinned in excitement as he held his sword between the prongs of the trident. "You're a really interesting guy, aren't you?"

"Already spoken for. And I'm not interested in someone who looks like a goth reject," Markus responded, pushing his weapon forward but held in place by the fake Kusanagi.

Orochi frowned. "Oi! That's raci-" He couldn't finish as he screamed, getting electrocuted.

Markus smirked as He channelled lightning through his trident, the Kusanagi conducting the electricity and shocking Orochi. Markus shoved the sword out of the way and lunged at his opponent. However, Orochi was able to distort his body at an unnatural angle and dodge the attack. Not missing a beat, Markus redirected the attack so that one of the tips was aimed at Orochi's neck. But the snake-dragon ducked, his body acting like rubber. He kicked at Markus' stomach, pushing him back only slightly.

Markus mentally patted himself on the back for activating Hierro at the last second. Aiming his trident, he threw it like a javelin towards Orochi. The snake-dragon chuckled as he ducked under the projectile. He opened his mouth to taunt Markus, but Markus disappeared in a blur of speed using Sonido twice, once to appear to the left side of the room, and another to appear behind Orochi. Grabbing Tsunami in mid-air, he spun it around skilfully so that he pierced downwards at the snake-dragon's back in quick succession.

However, Orochi managed to twist his body like a snake so that he moved to the right in a streamlined position. His head morphed into a giant python's, fangs dripping with venom and mouth raised to devour the demigod.

His reflexes saving him, Markus vibrated his body so that he was able to phase through the half-snake, head and all. Passing through Orochi's body, Markus cancelled the vibration and brought his arm out to catch his leg with his super strength, halting his motion. Markus took that time to stab Tsunami into Orochi's midsection, lodging it in there.

The snake head hissed loudly in pain, making Markus smirk. But then his expression turned to disgust as the snake head opened its mouth and a hand covered in saliva reached out from the throat of the snake, followed by a head, and then the rest of Orochi's body came out, bathed in saliva.

In disgust, Markus threw the previous sack that was Orochi away. "What the fuck are you?" he asked in disgust.

Orochi smirked evilly, displaying his fangs. "A god."

Markus scoffed, his earlier disgust fading away. "Bitch, please. If you're a god, then I'm a god slayer." Before Orochi could move, Markus clapped his hands together, creating a thunderclap.

Orochi roared in pain, holding his now-revealed sensitive ears. Markus took that to stab Tsunami in the ground by its hilt and to leap forward, equipping Beowulf and Superman-punching the distracted snake-dragon in the sternum, cracking it. Orochi threw up blood as he was launched to the wall, hitting it and cracking it slightly.

But before Markus could continue attacking him, Orochi hissed deeply, speaking in a language that Markus didn't understand. He waited for Orochi's supposed spell to occur. And it came in the form of dozens of tiny white snakes to creep through tiny crevices that Markus hadn't noticed before.

Dismissing Beowulf, Markus took out his guns. Applying kinetic energy to the two of them, Markus shot rapid fire bullets at the incoming snakes. The bullets moved faster than normal bullets due to the added kinetic energy. This had the effect of destroying several snakes and the ground that they slithered on due to the speed that they travelled at, taking out even more snakes.

Done with the snakes, Markus turned his guns to Orochi, who dodged the gunfire. He looked fully healed now, though he was panting heavily. Guess his freaky healing ability took a lot out of him.

Moving at super speeds, Markus channeled earthquake energy to his leg and lashed out with a mean sweep kick that snapped Orochi's leg in half. The snake-dragon roared in pain.

Before Markus could continue with his attack, his left hand exploded in pain. Markus yelled in pain as he broke off his charge, clutching his burning hand that was in pain. Why was his hand burning? He didn't touch anything hot-

Suddenly, Markus felt woozy. His vision shifted, showing three grinning Orochis. He knelt, feeling like passing out.

"Do you like it?" Orochi asked gleefully. "It's a new poison I've been working on. One so potent that it causes agonising pain. You really shouldn't have touched me."

Markus' mind was still on the burning pain that ran up his arm. He managed to remember him grabbing Orochi's leg, trying to skewer him. He didn't know that he even had poison on his hand.

Before he could think on it, Markus felt a foot connect with his chin. He was thrown back as he landed on the floor, his mouth filled with blood due to him biting his tongue when he was kicked.

His hazy vision managed to pick out Orochi standing over him, leg fully healed. He raised his hand and punched Markus in the stomach. The demigod coughed up blood due to not applying Hierro in time. The snake-dragon continued pummelling him, beating on his face, stomach and chest. Each time delivering extreme damage to Markus and making his entire body explode in pain.

Orochi finished his assault, leaving the demigod bleeding and bruised. "Now, to finish you off," Orochi gloated with a grin, summoning his Kusanagi and raising it upward to finish Markus off.

He didn't see Markus hold out his hand in a certain direction.

Orochi was so caught up in killing him that he didn't see the incoming trident that pierced his side. He dropped is sword in pain as he screeched, clutching his bleeding side with Tsunami lodged in his side.

Markus groaned as he concentrated on the poison now in his bloodstream. He couldn't heal himself with the poison in his body. Slowly reaching for his Chimera knife, he stabbed his hand that was injected with the poison, causing it to bleed. Using his toxikinesis, he slowly extracted the poison from his blood and brought out all of the poison in the form of a liquid onto the ground, which acted like acid and practically ate through the ground.

"Should've gone with magic first," groaned Markus as he summoned some water from the air, and dropped it onto his bleeding and bruised body. His wounds healed and closed up, erasing any bruises and healing all of his cuts instantly. Fully healed, he stood up, re-energised. He'd come far in using his powers that he was able to control poisons, which were usually in the form of liquids. He unlocked his toxikinesis on accident when he experimented on the poison on he Lamia knife. He didn't think he needed to use it that much. Turns out he was wrong.

He was thankful that he managed to summon Tsunami back to him in the nick of time. This was due to its connection to the sea. Markus could command the aspect of the sea in the trident to come to him, and it obeyed him instantly. It was a little trick he had learned when he received the spear.

A yell broke Markus out of his thoughts. He whipped his head to see Orochi now healed of his wound, though he was panting heavily and sweating. Probably due to the drain on his healing ability. Tsunami laid on the ground next to him.

"Y-you fucking b-brat," Orochi growled out, his lazy drawl gone. "I'll fucking ki-"

But Orochi was unable to speak as his body was locked, unable to move. This was due to Markus using his haemokinesis to control the flowing blood in Orochi's human body. It didn't matter how powerful Orochi was, if he had blood, Markus could control him.

Making the blood expand past the veins, arteries, heart and other organs, Markus caused Yamaha-no-Orochi to explode in a large shower of chunky flesh and blood. The blood stained the floor and walls while the chunks of flesh splattered everywhere.

Not in the least bit disturbed at the display of a 'blood explosion' - because Orochi's mouth-vomiting was more disturbing - Markus sighed and walked forward to pick up the Kusanagi and Tsunami. He put the trident back on his keychain and hefted the Kusanagi in his hand, examining it.

"All this trouble for a fucking sword," Markus muttered. He then shrugged. "Oh well."

As Markus made to walk out, a raspy voice spoke out, "Not yet..."

In shock, Markus whirled around, Kusanagi raised, as he laid witness to what looked like a purple-coloured soul. "I... said... not... yet..." the soul rasped out, hanging onto nothing but will.

"How the fuck are you still alive?!" Markus yelled in shock and anger.

The soul didn't answer. Instead, it exploded with purple energy, pushing Markus back. He stabbed the Kusanagi into the ground, halting his movement. He closed his eyes due to the gale winds that were pushing him back and stinging in his eyes. They continued going on for what felt like forever, before they died down. Markus looked up, and was shocked stupid at what he saw.

Looking down on him was a humongous serpent, which practically destroyed the room they were in with just its body, with eight giant heads with white snakes as necks, all bunched up to form at the body. It was literally a giant, more deadly and scarier version of a hydra, just with eight heads. It had the same facial structure as Orochi in his human form, but more serpentine.

"... Fuck my life," Markus muttered, before one of the heads sailed towards him.

Markus was able to swiftly dodge, but then its neck uncoiled to reveal smaller snakes heading towards him. Markus used Kusanagi to hack and slash at each snake, cutting each one down. But whenever he killed one, more took their place. In only a few moments, three snakes had been replaced with fifty.

Markus was going to continue cutting when he saw three of the large heads ready to devour him. Putting the sword handle into his mouth, he equipped Beowulf and narrowly avoided the mouths of the heads. One got too close so he ducked and performed a Shoryuken from below, making it raise its head due to the strike. In mid-air, he was about to perform an axe kick when another head headed towards him.

Not having any chance to move, Markus instead channelled lightning through his body, before unleashing it outward, cloaking himself in a sheen of lightning. This resulted in shocking the incoming head due to the arcs of lightning and causing it to shriek in pain.

Needing more room, Markus vapour-travelled out of the room and outside, where he reappeared. Orochi's fully body destroyed the warehouse trying to chase after him.

Markus summoned four speed clones and performed a spell. " _Ionioi Hetairoi: Ten no Kusari_!" Four long chains made out of Mist formed and the speed clones held onto each end. He poured a sizeable chunk of magic in each chain so that it could hold. Each clone went after two heads, going to pin them down.

Providing support, Markus performed another spell. " _Ionioi Hetairoi: Girisha Kaze_!" Multiple Greek weapons formed and sailed towards Yamaha-no-Orochi. Each head tried to dodge, but the speed clones jumped and wrapped the eight heads in the chains, weighing them down. The weapons hit each head, causing all of them to shriek as their eyes, mouths and faces were pierced by the spell. This allowed the speed clones to wrap two heads each in the chains, nailing them to the ground. It took almost all of their strengths - with Markus putting a giant chunk of kinetic energy into them - to pin them down, but they managed.

Taking out Red Queen and storing Kusanagi away in a sealing rune, Markus activated Second Gear by speeding up his blood flow tremendously. Steam billowed from his form while he started sweating a lot. While his physical attributes were increased, the downside was that he couldn't use his other powers as that would disrupt his concentration of controlling his blood flow, which needed to be controlled.

Dashing towards the pinned heads and practically cracking the ground from his movements, Markus revved Red Queen, bathing it in flames. Going towards two of the pinned heads, Markus struck down. Due to revving Red Queen and the added boosts from Second Gear, Markus was able to practically slash through one of the necks, causing one of the heads to be severed and black blood to spray everywhere. The wound was cauterised, making each head roar in agony and for the blood to evaporate.

Not being deterred, Markus leaped up and slashed down on the second pinned head, getting the same result as the first severed head. He was going to continue, but it looked like Orochi had had enough.

One of the heads flailed and broke one of the chains, making one of the clones stumble. It roared and headed towards the original, fangs bared. Backing away from the incoming head, Markus sped up the blood flow to his left hand, clenching it. The added blood made the fist red.

"Jan... Ken..." Markus chanted, his runes glowing bright to his response. He waited for the incoming head to come towards him, and then promptly dodged. He punched forward with his fist to the side of the head, his punch creating a small sonic boom due to the increased blood pressure and his super strength. "Po!" he finished, his fist crushing into the head and breaking bone. The head shot sideways due to the force, landing on the ground heavily, unconscious. Quickly, Markus sliced off the head with Red Queen. "Fuck yeah! It actually worked!" Markus cheered, punching his fist in the air in celebration.

He was interrupted by the roar of the other five heads. He looked to see the snake heads had broken free from their restraints, making the chains fade away. Markus dismissed the speed clones along with Second Gear, due to the strain both techniques put on his body. To boost himself back to full strength, Markus chanted an Atlantean spell that he'd read. "Άρχισε η Άνοιξη! (Spring's Rush!)" he chanted.

His entire body was bathed in a blue light. All of his exhaustion faded away, and he was returned to full power with a little extra. The spell was similar to him being doused in water, just with magic as a substitute. It did its job slightly better since his boost lasted for three minutes. But the requirements were a little taxing.

Nevertheless, he brought out Wavebreaker. In response to this, Yamaha-no-Orochi roared, making the ground tremble.

Markus used his powers to summon a giant hurricane out of wind and vapour, his powers making it larger than average. He stood atop of his creation, reaching slightly above the snake heads. Orochi's heads snapped at the top of the hurricane, trying to eat him, but the water vapour and winds kept snapping him back. Around the two beings, the wind picked up sharply. Above, thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Markus roared and dug deep into his powers as a son of the Stormbringer. Raising his sword, Markus called down lightning from the sky and directed it to one of the heads from the sky, essentially vaporising it in a flash.

Having enough of being beheaded, Orochi summoned more of his white snakes from his necks and aimed them towards Markus. Markus dealt with this by summoning a water dragon using the surrounding water vapour and summoning lightning to it. The result was a water dragon bathed in electricity, creating a water-lightning dragon. His creation dived forward, incinerating the snakes with the lightning and crushing and destroying them using the water.

The remaining heads shrieked and tried to move away from the hurricane, but Markus turned parts if the water that was dousing three of the heads into ice, encasing them in ice. Seeing his chance, Markus leapt from the hurricane, equipping Beowulf to his arms and legs. He jumped on one head and punched it, destroying it. He hopped to the other two and did the same thing before leaping to the final one, getting ready to behead it.

However, the head didn't want to give up. It hacked a glob of burning poison at the descending Markus. Thinking quickly, Markus dismissed Beowulf and quickly activated the shield Tyson had given him, holding it out in front of him. The poison hit the shield, instantly eating away at it and trying to kill the demigod.

Not being deterred, Markus took out the Kusanagi and closed his eyes, the poison spray stinging his eyes. He swung downward as he fell, his blade cutting through the head cleanly.

He fell to the ground, throwing away the melting shield and blinking his eyes, tears leaking out of them due to the sting. He quickly summoned water to douse himself and removing any lingering poison on his body, too tired to use his toxikinesis.

He panted, laying on the floor and feeling like shit. "Ha," he panted heavily, trying to stay awake. "I'm, huff, probably, huff, going to get, huff, killed one day," he muttered deliriously to himself. He giggled, exhaustion making him feel delusional.

Clutching the fake Kusanagi, he transfigured a rock into a vial, scooping some of the poison for future use. Taking a scale from the slowly decaying monster as a trophy, Markus vapour-travelled out of the area, job completed.

 **Done. Man, this was a long one.**

 **Lot of stuff went down here. Markus finished the Hestia cabin and became 'Hero of the Unclaimed' - which was a funny title in itself - met Persephone for the first time (interesting interaction) and struck a deal with Hades while receiving three souls in return. Along with gaining the Rage of Sparta from God of War and killing Yamata-no-Orochi. Yeah.**

 **Keep in mind that Orochi was weakened from taking over his reincarnation's soul. If this was the original, it'd be very, very hard for Markus to kill him, almost impossible. Since it took Susanoo to kill him, and he's a major god in the Shinto mythology.**

 **Next chapter, Markus will receive his title, along with training from Susanoo. Then, hopefully, we get onto Titan's Curse. Nice string of non-canon chapters so far, if I do say so myself.**

 **I was going to post this before Christmas Day, but I was too busy enjoying my holidays. And I was out all day yesterday. So this was posted as my Christmas gift to all readers, reviewers and lovers and supporters of this story. Enjoy your Christmas, all of you!**

 **Merry Christmas!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36:**

Markus was following Susanoo inside a Shinto palace, located in a remote place outside of Tokyo. The god had directed him to this place because he had said that it was vital for his being.

Since coming back and recovering from his quest to slay Yamata-no-Orochi, Susanoo had kept his word. Once he was strong enough, Susanoo had blessed him and made him his champion. The process wasn't really long or spectacular. Susanoo just clapped his hands and spoke in Japanese so quick that Markus had no idea what he'd said. And then a powerful orb of light came from the god's clapped hands and shot forward to Markus' chest.

As soon as the orb shot into his chest, Markus almost passed out due to the tremendous power that he had received. It was so powerful that he almost fell onto his back from exhaustion of having to assimilate the new power into his body. In the end, he did pass out and awoke a few hours later, Susanoo there to tend to him.

When Markus checked on his divine reserves, he was stumped. The last time Markus had checked on his core, he estimated that he was... roughly at the level of minor god, arrogance and pride aside of course. He didn't know if that was a good estimate or not, since the only minor god that he had encountered was Khione and Hecate (who didn't really count as a minor god, since she was technically a Titan). Now, though, his power output was above that of a minor god, and touching that of an Olympian! **(A.N. - In terms of power output, with magic included. This does not include fighting skill or divine control... at least not yet).**

Markus was so happy at the increase in power that he almost vibrated in glee... before slapping himself for acting so weird. But he was still really happy at what he had managed to achieve thanks to the storm god. Another thing he had noticed was his increase in elemental control. His lightning control was now on the level that his water control was previously, which was a shock. His wind control had also increased largely and he was able to use it on the same level as a child of Zeus, and even beyond. And his water control... was absolutely ridiculous. Seriously, it wasn't even funny anymore. His water control was his greatest asset and the one that he had spent the most time on, magic powers aside. He didn't really practice with them much because he had already explored the boundaries that he could with water. At least, to his knowledge. Now, he could use water in ways that he didn't even know.

His blood control had improved, so he could now control beings with almost no difficulty, mist and vapour control had also increased - so he could vapour-travel almost anywhere and not suffer huge drawbacks - and he could control liquids even better now. Meaning sweat, saliva, gastric fluids, poisons, etc. He still wasn't sure about ichor, but he hadn't tested it yet.

Along with that, his powers, magic and physical body felt much, much stronger and more powerful. His strength had increased so much that his punches now were similar to what he could do with Beowulf before. And that was with him holding back! His speed, without use of kinetic energy, had also taken a much larger increase to where he could outstrip Olympic athletes and make them look like snails. With kinetic energy, he was much, much faster. He was seriously so giddy right now.

Not only had he received a power increase, but he also received the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, which was the real one and not the fake Orochi had. When Markus had recovered the fake Kusanagi, Susanoo held the blade in his hands, before crushing it with his strength. Then, he summoned another sword in his hands, one vastly different in appearance from the fake Kusanagi. This one was in the shape of a nodachi with a slight blue hue on one half of the blade. It even came with a sheath as well. Despite its simple appearance, it radiated power that Markus had only felt in Zeus' bolt and Hades' helm. It had godly energy within, of that he was sure of.

Susanoo had warned him that he shouldn't use the blade carelessly and that this should only be used against god-tier opponents or emergencies. He also said that it was an excellent conductor for lightning, and could be used to charge bolts and lightning on Zeus' level, with enough power. Markus understood the responsibilities given to him as he held the Kusanagi. To hide it, Susanoo taught Markus a spell where he could place it in a pocket dimension of sorts, and pull it out whenever he required.

Now both god and demigod walked inside the temple, candles, prayer mats and kanji set all around the place. As they reached the center, Susanoo stopped. turning to face the son of Poseidon. Markus stared back.

"As my champion," Susanoo said, "you represent me, in a way. And while I'm not as stingy or as arrogant as your gods, I do have a sense of pride. Simply put, you will receive training directed under me, so that you can wear the title of 'Champion of Susanoo' proudly."

Markus nodded, not complaining or angry in the slightest.

"As such, I have gathered several teachers who are masters in their fields and who will help you gain enough standing in the field necessary for you. Magic and physical prowess, divine powers, meditation, along with being taught how to fight like a god." At Markus' confused face, he elaborated. "What I mean is that, while you are a demigod, you are essentially half-god. So I plan to train you how to fight like one. This entails using divine energy for simple things like strengthening your limbs or body, and other achievements that magic itself can't accomplish. You will also be taught the art of fighting and combat."

Markus tried his damnedest to stop grinning in absolute fucking glee. He failed miserably.

Susanoo nodded. "I can see that your are ecstatic. By the time I'm done training you, you will be on a level of one of your own gods. Perhaps a low-tier Olympian or so. Who knows?"

"That reminds me," Markus said, getting his mind straight. "How long will the training take. I'd be happy to take as long as needed, but I do need to get back to my pantheon. And my friends will be worried."

"I understand," Susanoo nodded. "The training will take roughly eight months to a year." At Markus' panicked face, he chuckled. "Have no fear. One of your teachers, who is very adept in the mystical arts, knows of creating a time-dilation field using dimension and spacial magic. I can tell you that roughly two months could pass in the real world, and only up to eight or nine months in the world you'll be in will pass."

"Can I at least send messages or meet some of my friends while I'm training?" Markus asked hopefully. At Susanoo's disgruntled look, he gave a pleading look.

The god sighed. "Fine. I'll even be generous and give you several breaks. You'll need it." At the evil grin on the god's face, Markus almost regretted accepting the training. "Now," he said ominously, sending shivers down Markus' spine. "Let us begin."

 **XXX**

 _(Phase 1)_

Markus' first part of training was in the arcane arts. He'd guessed that he would excel quickly in this field, since he already knew a lot about magic. He was proven wrong.

His teacher was a man who essentially looked like Gandalf form Lord of the Rings, with the long beard, robes and everything. Just from looking in his eyes, Markus could tell that he'd been alive for centuries, maybe millennia. He gave off a similar aura that Chiron usually had: one who'd trained hundreds of students in his art.

He didn't give Markus his name, as he said that there was no need. All he needed to call him was teacher, teach, or even sensei. Markus decided to just call him Dalf, short for Gandalf. That was who he reminded him of anyway. The old man just shook his head in amusement, but didn't say anything.

For their first lesson, Dalf had dropped a giant tome in front of him, which was on the understandings and basics of manipulating magic. Markus had argued that he already knew all of the basics and how to use magic, but Dalf just used his staff - which he had on him - to whack Markus on the head. When he yelled and complained as to why the hell he hit him, Dalf just whacked him again. After getting whacked a few times, and getting large bruises, Markus got the message that he should keep quiet.

He _was_ allowed to use his 'Speed Thought' spell, though. Knowing that fact, he quickly took to reading the book. Normally, the tome would've taken at least days, if not weeks, to read. Markus managed to achieve it in only three days. Time ran differently in the time-dilation field, however, so it was three days inside the field.

When Markus finished the book, Dalf asked him to tell him what he had learned. Markus responded with facts that he'd never known before. From what he read, magic was the energy that was used to manipulate reality to a certain level, which was the basic understanding. There were different ways to draw on magic. One was through dimensions. Another was through objects and, sometimes, other beings. Other ways were using words or having a magical core, as Markus did and had. Another main way was drawing on one's surroundings and even nature itself.

Once he got that out of the way, he also told Dalf about other things he'd read: that being how famous witches, wizards and sorcerers used magic. That being Merlin, Morgan le Fay, King Arthur, and priests. This was done so he could take examples from them as to how to use magic better. Or, as Dalf said, properly. He felt insulted by that, but he let it slide.

Then Markus told Dalf about the types of magic used, which were Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Shinto, Buddhist, demonic, angelic, nature, etc. and their applications and uses. Greek magic, as Markus knew, was vast and powerful but was sort of limited in a way, due to it being a little rigid. Egyptian magic was more vast and slightly more powerful than Greek magic, due to its roots, and had different applications and reaches that Greek magic didn't have or could achieve. Norse magic was powerful, but had drawbacks mainly towards the user. Shinto and Buddhist were vast and had almost limitless potential, with imagination being their only cap. The rest were self-explanatory, demonic magic was too destructive, angelic magic was peaceful and nourishing, the same with nature magic, etc. There were exceptions to each rule but that was the general gist.

Then he finished off with how magic, while used in different ways and forms, was essentially linked, in a way. Markus couldn't wrap his head properly around this, but that was what he'd read in the book. Magic was receptive to different methods and beings. Gods, elves, demons, nature creatures had a much better understanding than humans at magic due to them having ties with nature and being supernatural. However, magic was the same in any form, just used differently and having a different flavour from the other. As Markus was a demigod, as well as having an affinity for magic, he could learn magic and use it better than others. Or, get a better understanding of magic, at least. He also learnt that magic was a tool. It was neither good or evil. The only factors that mattered was the user and the branches.

With that done, Dalf moved on to teaching about several branches of magic. He said that, since their time was limited, he could only teach a few magic. The options that Markus could choose from was space/time magic, elemental magic, necromancy, celestial/astronomy magic, energy-based magic and charm magic. He could only pick four options. So Markus decided to go with space/time, energy-based, elemental and celestial magic.

Markus practically abused the shit out his 'Speed Thought' spell. This ended up with him having his mind almost turned to mush and ending up as a vegetable if Dalf didn't heal him at times.

Some spells taught to him were so destructive and vast that Dalf had to take him to another dimension, which was called the Mirror Dimension, so that the area they were in wasn't destroyed. **(A.N. - The same Mirror Dimension used in the Dr. Strange movie)**. The Mirror Dimension was a copy of the real world, except with no inhabitants. It was one of many dimensions that Dalf had discovered. With it, he could destroy as much space as he wanted with no restraint.

Along with all this, Markus was allowed into Dalf's personal library where he could make his own discoveries while Dalf trained him. So he read up on runes, several charms and spells. They weren't much, but they were something. On the plus side, Markus finished a project that he'd wanted to finish for sometime: recreating Yamato from Devil May Cry. How this was done was essentially getting summoning a katana and writing up to three space/time runes on them, with the runes translating literally to 'Space', 'Time', 'Cut'. It not only was a complete success, but worked the exact same way like the weapon did in the games.

Speaking of Devil May Cry, Dalf managed to help Markus with his little 'demonic problem'. Using his superior magic skills, Dalf healed Markus of the burn that Zerith had given him and, on Markus' behalf, managed to merge the demonic parasite in Markus' arm with the limb. The parasite was eventually destroyed with its properties absorbed by Markus' arm. Now, he essentially had the Devil Bringer from DMC4, with his own modifications. Namely, the colour in the line of the arm being green instead of blue, and several tattoos plastered onto it. The awesome thing about it was that not only could he turn the Devil Bringer on and off, he could also channel magic into it to use hellfire, due to Zerith's power being in the parasite. Markus was very grateful to all the Dalf had done for him, and the teacher said that it was nothing.

 _(Phase 2)_

The next part of training insisted of Markus training with a Shinto priest **(A.N. - His appearance is similar to Madara when he became the Juubi Jinchuriki in Naruto, only clothes and accessory-wise. His hair is shorter)**. Markus nicknamed him Tim. Why? Because it felt nice.

Tim taught him Fūinjutsu, which was a type of art that involved seals, which were similar to runes **(A.N. - Exactly like Fūinjutsu from Naruto. I won't cover all of it here, since you can look it up for yourself)**. Along with that, he was taught a little bit of Shinto magic and meditation. For the Shinto magic, it was absolutely mind-blowing and involved a number of things, including healing, which he didn't know much about, using dimensions to attack other people, mental blocks to stop people from telepathically attacking him, as well as how to use his inner spirit, so to say. This, along with meditation, helped Markus have a deep connection with his spirit and allowed him to develop a mindscape, a plane that existed in his mind. This further developed his mental skills and even allowed him to control his ADHD. He still had it, he just was able to control it now.

Along with the magic, he was also able to apply resistance and gravity seals upon his body, increasing the resistance and the gravity that he alone was under. So the gravity seals applied was set at four times his centre of gravity. His body was already sturdy enough with all of the power buffs he'd received, so he could slightly handle the increased gravity. So he was stuck doing push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks and other exercises while having increased resistance and weight.

His study of Fūinjutsu went quickly. The art was similar to runes, only seals were more fluid for him. So he took to it like a fish to water.

With that, his study with Tim finished earlier than expected.

 _(Phase 3)_

The third part of Markus' training was with him and what looked to be a fox-man with nine tails. This, Markus was later told, was a kitsune youkai, a kyuubi to be exact. Markus only knew a little about the creature, but he did know that kitsunes were mostly tricksters.

Simply put, Markus hated Fuzzy. That was the name he'd given the kyuubi. Largely put to piss him off.

Fuzzy was stern, sarcastic and a pain in the ass. He liked to insult and mock Markus, sometimes whenever he messed up in training and other times for no reason, and he never let him take that much breaks. Markus cursed at him and always found ways to piss him off in return.

However, despite being a hardass, Fuzzy had some interesting stuff to teach. First, Markus was taught how to use illusions. This part was added to his training due to his use of the Mist to manipulate mortals and the use of his Mist clones, which he didn't use for a while. Kitsunes were masters at using illusions, so Fuzzy knew his stuff. However, because Markus wasn't a youkai, instead of being naturally gifted with illusions, Markus only had magic and the Mist to rely on. So they went with that.

He already knew beforehand how to use the Mist to the point of using illusions, but Fuzzy's training was still no joke. For the first lesson, the kitsune trapped him in an illusion and instructed him to break out of it. Nothing too big, just Markus being transported to a sunny forest rather than the area they were training in. He broke out of it using his magic to force his body to overcome the illusion.

Then they moved onto bigger stuff. Markus being transported to a desert and experiencing the full sensations that came with it, thirst, sweat, heat, etc. Then they went to a cave with three doorways, and Markus had to choose the right door and ignore the illusions. He'd failed a couple of times, hence his receiving ridicule from Fuzzy. Then he experience high-level illusions that warped reality itself, transporting him, mentally, to areas beyond Earth, and he had to break out of them. The illusions were a pain in the ass to dispel, but he managed.

The main way to detect illusions was focusing on his five senses, as well as his secret sixth sense that he had. This training was done by Fuzzy throwing dodgeballs at him, sharp objects at him, sneak attacks upon him, etc. Markus could tell that Fuzzy took pleasure in trying to kill him. Sadistic furball. The good thing that came out of it was that his reflexes were now top-notch.

Next, he was taught how to cast illusions, which was him bringing his magic outwards from his body and coating his surroundings in his magic. This method was usually successful, if not draining. There were more subtle ways of casting illusions that Markus was taught, although if his opponent was strong in enough mentally, they could easily break the illusions.

Another thing Markus was taught was to use the energy that Fuzzy knew: that being senjutsu **(A.N. - Instead of it being fictional, in this fic, I'll make it an actual art that youkai, and by extension creatures of nature, are able to use in different ways** **)**. Senjutsu is a specialised field of techniques that allows the user to sense and then gather natural energy. Senjutsu practitioners learn to draw the energy of nature inside of them, blending it with their own energy. The advantages of it were boosting his strength, speed, stamina and durability. Along with that, he would be able to sense anything nearby and possibly far away. However, senjutsu was only accessed by youkai or nature creatures. Markus guessed that satyrs like Grover, dryads, nymphs and other woodland creatures were able to use something similar to senjutsu, but in a different way in their nature magic.

While he couldn't use it on the level that the listed creatures could, he could actually manipulate it and even use it. The only reason that he could, specifically, was because he was a son of Poseidon, the sea god. The sea had quite a large connection to nature. And while his abilities weren't nature-based, the connection was still there, if only faint. Because of this, he was only able to utilise senjutsu to its base use, with the added physical buffs and sensory capabilities. Still, the uses was still powerful.

The training to use senjutsu was very challenging. The process was basically him meditating and absorbing nature energy from his surroundings. This itself wasn't actually hard. Markus knew how to meditate and knew enough to gather and absorb different kinds of energy. The problem was maintaining the natural energy inside his body and keeping it there. This was largely unsuccessful due to his poor connection with nature. Surprisingly, Fuzzy was helpful in this case, stating that senjutsu was hard even for youkai to use. However, instead of deterring him, this only made him train even harder.

It took a long time, along with heavy amounts of frustration, but he managed to achieve proper use of senjutsu. His control had improved over his numerous failures, so he now could control it properly. When in use of senjutsu, he gained several markings on his face **(A.N. - Similar to Hashirama when he used it, because it looks badass).**

Despite being a dick, Fuzzy actually congratulated him on his success with senjutsu, stating that he did in essentially months what others had tried to do in years. He ruined the praise by calling him a dumbass with good potential. Just this once, Markus decided to let it go. He'd get the bastard back later.

 _(Phase 4)_

Markus was now in his final stage of training. One that he immediately hated as soon as he started. Why? Because his teacher was Susanoo. And Markus learned that the god was a sadistic motherfucker.

His first part of training with the storm god was fighting him unarmed, no powers. Markus wasn't actually looking forward to that part. Despite having made leaps and bounds in fighting and having gotten stronger and faster, he was facing a god. Scratch that, an OP god. So he didn't have high hopes on winning.

This was made clear by, at the start of the fight, Susanoo instantly appeared in front of him and tried to crush him with his fist. Markus' trained reflexes allowed him to dodge the attack and counter with his own. This was blocked as the god grabbed his wrist and promptly snapped it.

Markus withheld a grimace as he ignored the pain, following up with a sweep kick, forcing the god to let go and move, trying to go for an axe kick. Markus rolled out of the way and got into Susanoo's guard. He went for quick and sufficient punches, his wrist being snapped back into place from before. The god ducked and weaved, trying to grapple him, but Markus always retracted his limbs back, mixing his strikes with straight punches, to elbows, and to shoulder tackles.

Wanting to distract his opponent, Markus withdrew his fists and moved in random directions, trying to disorientate Susanoo with his movements, moving similar to a boxer's stance. Scoffing, Susanoo dismissed his movements and simply moved quickly, going for a fast strike to one of his weak points. Smirking, Markus disengaged from his movements and, like a viper, caught both of the god's arms in a tight lock.

Going for a daring move, Markus used Susanoo's front as a kick board, using his arms as support. His legs ran up his chest before flipping, kicking the god in the chin and landing on the ground gracefully. With the god stunned from his maneuver, Markus moved in and delivered crippling blows to vital spots. If his opponent wasn't a god, the strikes would've crippled him.

Having enough of being a punching bag, Susanoo surprised Markus as he kept on punching and got in a lucky roundhouse kick, knocking him on the ground and leaving him winded. Reacting quickly, Markus pushed upward, his feet on the ground a second before Susanoo came barrelling towards him, pushing him and trying to cripple him. Markus responded in the same manner.

The spars were important because Susanoo was trying to teach him to fight more like a god rather than a measly demigod. While most gods concentrated on smiting people and using their domains to their advantage, many gods liked to duke it out physically with their godly attributes. Like Dragon Ball Z, essentially. This was one of many exercises that Susanoo was advising him on.

Susanoo gave a nasty cross to his jaw, and Markus responded by giving a high kick to his ribs. The fight went on, neither side allowed to use their methods of healing in this fight. It continued to go on until one factor started to take effect: Markus' stamina. Despite having trained intensively and done numerous exercises to increase his stamina, it was still finite. And his opponent was a god, who had infinite stamina.

Eventually, Markus' body started to tire, and this took effect on his fighting speed. Susanoo took advantage of this, and quickly countered his strikes and uppercutted his chin, knocking the demigod down. Due to his fatigue, he didn't get up.

"Ugh," Markus groaned, feeling dizzy.

"And it is my win," the god gloated smugly.

Markus couldn't even muster enough energy to glare at him. "Smug bastard. Didn't know you could be so petty."

"I'm a god, Markus Henderson. Pettiness is a factor that I must have."

"Least I know that now." He tried sitting up, but was too exhausted. Growling, he summoned water from the air and doused himself, healing himself of any fatigue.

"Now that you have recovered," Susanoo said when Markus finished healing himself, "we can move unto the next part of your training."

Markus groaned.

And so they moved onto something else. That being control over divine energy. Divine energy was basically the godly energy Markus had as a demigod. He used it all the time whenever he used his powers, but this time he was trying to bring it out in raw form and strengthen his limbs and coat his body. The former Markus already knew how to do while the latter was what he was currently working on.

They also worked on other things. The first thing was weapon training, specifically with the sword and spear. While Markus wondered why he didn't use other weapons, Susanoo said that it was better to increase his skills in weapons that he could already wield.

Training with swords was considered a nightmare. While Markus was an excellent swordsman, Susanoo made him look like a joke. The god always kept him on his toes, moving so quickly that for many of the spars he had to rely on his reflexes to help him dodge and parry. And he always ended up with cuts that ranged in size. Susanoo didn't actually teach him that much skills. The reason was that he wanted to build up his handling with a sword to a degree that he was happy with. The skills that were taught to him, though, ranged from several disarming techniques to kill strikes. He was tested on every type of sword, from a katana, nodachi, Muramasa sword, etc. On the plus side, this type of training gave Markus almost lightning fast reflexes. As for his reaction time, Markus came up with a solution for that.

What he did was use his lightning control to speed up the electrical impulses that go towards his brain. The normal reaction time for humans is roughly 0.15 seconds, for touch stimulus at least. Demigods had their battle reflexes in the form of ADHD, which made their reaction time much quicker. Due to his idea, his reaction time was even quicker. His electrical impulses to his brain were sped up, making time seemingly slow down for Markus. This idea came from Kongō Agon from Eyeshield 21. The technique was called 'God Speed Impulse'. However, since he planned to use it for battle, Markus dubbed it 'War God Speed Impulse'. This allowed him to react to things far quicker and to think of ideas on the fly much quicker and easier.

Susanoo claimed that it was cheating, but Markus replied that, in battle, you had to have every advantage if you wanted to win. The god conceded to his point, before basically beating him down afterwards. Spear training was just as worse, and involved him getting skewered and almost dying at multiple times. He only recovered thanks to his healing factor with water.

The next stage of training was one Markus hated even more than sword or spear training. That was using the bow.

How it started was Markus following Susanoo to a training field in the time-dilation field. As soon as he saw what was laid out before him, he spoke out immediately. "Oh hell no. No way."

"I do not see what the problem is, Markus," Susanoo said with confusion.

"Me and the bow do not agree with each other. I can't make a shot with that thing to save my life. Nope. No way. I'm out." As soon as he tried to move away, Susanoo grabbed the scruff of his neck, halting his process. The demigod still tried kicking and moving away that looked comical.

"You are my champion," Susanoo warned sternly. "I cannot have you show such a sign of weakness in the art of weaponry. Any disadvantage you have, remove it. Now, shoot." Markus still tried to run away, but Susanoo basically trapped him. In the end, he reluctantly stepped forward and picked up the bow cautiously. "Fine," Markus grumbled in irritation. "But don't bitch to me if you lose an eye or something."

He then held the weapon in his hand as he stood in position in front of a target. He notched an arrow on the string, held it back, drew in a steady breath, and released it.

Susanoo had to hold up his hand to catch the arrow that Markus previously had not even a second ago. And the god was standing behind him. "I can't even fathom how such a thing occurred," the god said as he lowered his hand that held the arrow.

"You see?!" Markus threw down the weapon in frustration. "I'm shit at archery! My bet is on the fact that a god cursed me!"

"I'm inclined to believe that," Susanoo nodded in agreement. He didn't think that his champion had it this bad. "Try again. Practice makes perfect, after all."

Markus looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. One failure doesn't mean that you failed completely. So try again."

Almost growling in irritation, Markus picked up the thing and tried again.

 _~ 50 arrows used later ~_

Susanoo was usually a calm god, some would even call him relaxed. He had a temper, sure, as shown in the past, but he'd mellowed down. He didn't think that his temper needed to rear its ugly head again, as he took methods to control his anger.

Those methods were quickly waning as his eyes twitched. The reason? The archery range was littered with arrows. Some pierced behind the target. Others pierced the trees beside the two occupants. One even managed to hit his hair. That was mainly the reason why he was so irritated.

Markus, however, wasn't looking at the surrounding arrows. He was looking at the one that managed to hit the target that he wanted. It didn't even hit the center, or even near it. In fact, it was so far out the it got stuck in the rim of the target. But he didn't care. He actually managed to hit the target.

"YES!" Markus threw the bow into the air as he knelt on the ground, fists pumped in the air. His thumbs and fingers were bloodied from pulling the bow string too many times, but he didn't care. He nearly wept in happiness as he was proud of his accomplishment. "I managed to hit the damn thing! Thank the gods!" he cried out, tears prickling at his eyes.

Susanoo just looked at the kneeling demigod incredulously. "How the hell can you be proud of that?!" he asked. "Look at what you did to the field! It's a mess!"

"You're a god! You can clean it up!" Markus shouted to him, still weeping in joy.

"That's not the point! You didn't even hit the center! In fact you barely hit the target at all!"

"I don't care! This is a celebration for me! Don't ruin it!"

"You can't even be proud of the fact! It was mainly luck that you even hit the target at all!"

"I have shitty luck! That was all skill!"

"I don't even know which is more frightening: the fact that your archery is absolutely abysmal, or the fact that you think that this," he pointed to the arrow at the rim of the target, "is due to skill."

Markus sunk in depression as he was insulted. Did he not know how much he struggled to even reach the target? That was fully skill right there!

"Alright," the god said, walking forward. He picked up the bow and held it away from Markus, as if it was a dangerous bomb if it went in his hands. "Now _this_ ," he stressed, "is how you wield a bow..."

 **XXX**

After the archery training, Markus could proudly say that his archery skills were... adequate. He could hit the target now, almost near the center, and could use it without screwing up. That, by far, was his proudest accomplishment. So much so that he almost broke down into tears of happiness. All of the ridicule! All of the failures! And now he could use the bow properly now! He kept a grin on his face the entire time, even after the archery training.

Markus moved unto other parts of his training. Strength training involved him lifting up stone statues, rocks, golems and metal objects that weighed up to 200 tonnes, even more sometimes. And he was still wearing the resistance and gravity seals upon him, so Susanoo had him carry and lug around even more objects of double the weight each time. His strength training also involved the usual physical exercises, with weights of the most heaviest materials on top of him or weighing him down. Along with the seals.

Speed training involved him trying to outrun lightning bolts. Basically, Markus would have a foot race with a lightning bolt, courtesy of Susanoo. He managed to exceed the bolt after... multiple times. Markus was very fast, but lightning bolts? That was going to take time. He also had to dodge and react quickly to avoid getting hit by lightning bolts from the sky without his War God Speed Impulse. He managed to succeed for the most part... while getting shocked along the way. This was perhaps the most painless training, as - thanks to his patron's blessing - he was immune to electricity and lightning. Ha! Suck it, Zeus! He could now fly without worrying about getting zapped by lightning! Hell, he could even fly now! He was so going to enjoy rubbing it in the god's face when he saw him.

Battle training involved mostly sparring, but also fighting smartly. As it was, Markus was no tactician. He wasn't dumb, and he came up with some pretty good plans during and outside of battle. But he mostly went into battle fists swinging, magic blasting, and guns blazing at least most of the time. So now, Susanoo had him fight smarter. Going for weak spots, pressure points, reading expressions before battle. The last part was done by Markus essentially reading a book on human behaviour and reading facial and body expressions. Afterwards, he was given a test that had him try to read Susanoo's casual expression in under thirty seconds. He managed to pass, if only barely. Still, the god was satisfied, and so was Markus.

Power training... now that was where Markus had fun. Here, he refined his control over water, liquids, lightning, wind, storms and earthquakes and took them to new heights. His water, liquid, lightning, wind and storm control had increased dramatically. He could now do things with water that he couldn't before, e.g. create water constructs like from Pacific Rim, create water versions of hydras, giant dragons, water golems, etc. His ice control was so great that he could make if fluid like water or even freeze people solid, like Khione. With his lightning control, he really only refined his control over it, and came across different discoveries. He finally was able to create Third Gear for himself, but his own was vastly different from the one used in One Piece. While Luffy's one was centered around his rubber body, he was able to use his control over lightning to basically manipulate lightning throughout his body, his muscles as well as brain. With heavy help from Susanoo, he managed to finish his personal Third Gear, focusing heavily on increased speed almost similar to that of lightning. The idea was inspired by Killua Zoldyck's Godspeed from Hunter x Hunter. His hair was even shaped the same way Killua's was when he used it. **(A.N. - While the technique of his Third Gear is the same as Killua's Godspeed, the appearance and physical boosts are similar to the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode in Naruto)**.

Other areas in lightning control was changing his lightning intensity. What that was was basically increasing the potency of his lightning, changing the colour. This couldn't be done by his natural skill with lightning, so he had to rely on lightning magic. Something that he generally wasn't happy about because it was something he couldn't do naturally. Sure, using magic wasn't bad and could be considered a better method, it still left a sour taste in his mouth.

Anyway, his usage in lightning intensity resulted in the formation of some interesting results: namely the formation of golden lightning. It was nothing special in appearance, just lightning but with a golden hue. However, in power, it was much more intense. It had a divine attribute to it, making it much more damaging to his normal lightning. It wasn't anything noteworthy, but it was definitely an improvement.

Wind control wasn't anything huge. He just learnt how to fly and use wind attacks in a similar method to lightning, although his wind control was slightly weaker than his electrokinesis and hydrokinesis.

Storm control had a very interesting discover. He could now create large storms that outstripped that of children of Zeus, as well make them smaller and more concentrated. Also, an interesting thing Susanoo taught him was how to make storm lasers by concentrating on using lightning, but adding water in the mix. It took Markus a while to wrap his head around it, but he could make lasers out of concentrated lightning by adding the fluidity of water. It took Markus using his 'Speed Thought' spell to actually wrap the practice around it, because it was so time-consuming and difficult. The result was him using storms as mini-lasers for himself to use. Something that he thought was the most coolest thing ever, even outstripping magic slightly. He could shoot lasers! Fucking lasers! This was so broken and awesome that he squealed like a girl whenever he used it.

Everything else wasn't noteworthy. He just increased the skills necessary for them as well as lowered the energy requirement.

 **XXX**

Now, Markus had finished his training in eight months during the time-dilation field. The results showed clearly. While Markus was chronologically fifteen, he looked like he was eighteen. This was also due to his runes that he used for his accelerated growth on his body. His muscles became slighter bigger and denser from all the physical training he did. His figure before made him look like a fighter with a lean, yet powerful build. However, now he looked like he had power in spades. He was much more muscular, but no overly so. His hair was longer and he even had a slight stubble, which kind of shocked him.

He now wore a black leather trench coat that went down slightly to his calves. Along with that was a grey T-shirt underneath, blue jeans and brown leather boots. On his ears were earrings with gold rectangles on them. His Camp Half-Blood bead necklace was on his neck, as well as a silver trident pendant.

Markus wasn't vain, but he knew that he was much, much more sexy than he was before he went training. Plus, he felt more... confident? Maybe arrogant? He didn't know, but he felt way more sure of himself than before. He didn't have that much fear of several things, like fighting gods or powerful monsters. Whatever this new fearless him was, he liked it a lot.

He now stood in the center of the Shinto temple that he'd seen when he first came here, which felt like a lifetime ago. Standing before him were his teachers and Susanoo, who looked at him proudly. Except Fuzzy, but he was always like that.

"Markus Henderson," Susanoo announced loudly. "You have completed the training that was set out before you and have come out infinitely stronger from it. We, as your teachers, have nothing else to teach you. Now go forth, Markus Henderson, and show them your worth as the son of the Greek god Poseidon and the champion of the Shinto storm god Susanoo!"

Dalf and Tim said nothing, but gave him encouraging nods and smiles. Walking forward, he gave both of them a hug. It might seem weird, but for him, they were mentors and senseis that made him into who he was today. And for that, they had his respect. His feelings towards them were similar to how he sometimes felt with Chiron, before he got angry at him. Letting go of them and stepping back, Markus scoffed as he looked towards Fuzzy, who huffed.

"Don't expect any praise from me, brat. You're still stupid in my opinion," Fuzzy sneered.

Smirking at him, Markus doused him with water from the air instantly. It took only a moment before the kyuubi realised it. "You little shi-"

"Love you too, Fuzzy," Markus said with a smirk, ignoring the smouldering glare from the kitsune.

Susanoo chuckled seeing the byplay between the two. "Yes, yes. Very amusing. Now, you may return to your pantheon. Go, Markus Henderson, and may the gods bless you."

"Arigatōgozaimashita, Susanoo-sama," Markus thanked, bowing his head slightly in thanks. To him, the god had his respect. He played a massive part in training. Plus - Markus wouldn't say it aloud - but the god felt like an uncle to him, having spent roughly three months training with him in the time-dilation field.

Susanoo nodded in return, smiling largely.

With that, Markus decided to leave in style. Using kinetic energy to form clothes of energy over his own clothes, his suit was made. It was a mirror image to Godspeed from the comics. Nodding to his teachers, he dashed out of the temple, moving slowly so that he wouldn't cause a sonic boom inside. Once he exited it, however, he created a massive sonic boom, surpassing his previous speeds instantly and moving just under Mach 5, mainly for entertainment.

He laughed as he ran at speeds that made his previous speeds look like he was moving at a snail's pace. He didn't check how long he took to his destination, as he was having too much fun running.

In almost no time, at least in his mind, he passed through the border of Camp Half-Blood. Instantly moving around the camp, he picked up Silena who was training alone in the arena, carrying her bridal-style, and moving out of camp. All in less than two seconds.

He moved at lower speeds for his girlfriend's sake. Using his War God Speed Impulse, he was able to take in every feature that Silena had, her slowly (in his mind, at least) moving hair that blew in the wind, her panicked expression, the fact that she was in her training clothes which consisted of a pink tank-top and grey sweat pants, and the fact that she tried attack the person who was carrying her. He laughed loudly, vibrating his voice so she wouldn't recognise him. This made her struggle even more.

Markus stopped running once they gained enough distance. Both of them were now in a forest that was several miles from camp. As soon as he dropped her, Silena immediately reacted, trying to strike his face. Grabbing her fist, he noted the she had gotten muscle on her. She was more toned than before.

"Silena, it's me," he said in his normal voice, stopping the daughter of Aphrodite from attacking again.

"Markus?" she asked, shocked.

His face mask parted, revealing his grinning face to his girlfriend.

"Markus!" she shouted in joy. She threw her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him, Markus responding the same way. He'd missed her so much. He missed the others just as much, but as his girlfriend, she had a special place in his heart. In fact, he missed all of his friends, Percy, Annabeth, Katie, Thalia, Beck, all of them. Then again, he'd been gone for eight months while for them it was roughly two.

Wrapping his arms around Silena's body, Markus enjoyed her familiar scent and taste. Ironically, she smelt like the perfume of her cabin that he hated, but... better. Running his hands down her body, Markus noted that she'd gained some serious muscle. They felt slim, yet strong, which fitted her figure perfectly. His hands got a little adventurous, wandering to her perfect ass that seemed to get even rounder than before.

Silena was also running her hand over her boyfriend's form. She noticed with lust and observation that he'd gotten bulkier and gained more muscle, which she enjoyed to her content. He still had his oceanic scent and tasted the same, but felt older, more powerful and... primal. Whatever it was, she enjoyed it immensely.

Both of them continued kissing, enjoying the contact between in each other. Both of their tongues danced the intimate dance that they were familiar with, and it looked like they weren't going to stop anytime soon. Sadly, Silena had to disengage from the kiss due to her losing oxygen. She made to speak, but was interrupted by Markus kissing her again.

"Mhmm!" she tried to speak out, but Markus kept on kissing her. He removed himself from the kiss, and then kissed her cheeks, and then her nose.

"W-what's gotten into you?" she asked, blushing at the attention he was giving her. Silena looked into his eyes, and she blushed even more at the intense gaze in his eyes.

"I missed you so, so much," he answered bluntly, making Silena look at him with surprise and warmth. "And... I-I just wanted to say that... I love you, Silena Beauregard. I love you so much." What Markus was saying was true. While he still held feelings for the other girls in his life, he realised that he loved her. He didn't know it, but when he was training, whenever he thought about her, there was a well of happiness that sparked in his chest. The saying 'you truly miss something or someone only when it's gone' rang through his head. Though it was only for up to him, he missed Silena. Her touch, her smile, her attitude that met well with his snarky one. At that moment, during his training, Markus realised that he loved Silena. Though his feelings for the other girls were still there, and grew only slightly, Silena was the one that his focus was on now.

Silena's eyes went wide as she heard, embarrassment forgotten. She knew that Markus was serious, having sensed the large amount of love that was directed to her, as well as small amounts of it reserved for the others, but she could feel it. The raw emotion hit her more than the declaration actually did, and tears prickled at her eyes.

Markus wanted to ask what was wrong, but Silena threw her arms around him again, sobbing slightly. Though he could tell that they were tears of happiness, he still rubbed her back, consoling her.

She removed herself from the hug, smiling with tears streaming down her cheeks. Though she was crying, her joyful expression, as well as her smile, made her more beautiful than normal. "I love you, too."

Grinning, Markus leaned forward to kiss her again, Silena doing the same. Both of them kissed with more passion than the last time, high with emotion due to their declaration. They wrapped their arms around each other, holding each other tenderly. They didn't know how long they stood there and kissed, but they didn't care. They were just content with each other.

Eventually, both of them slowly disengaged from the kiss, looking at each other with love. It seemed cheesy, but at that moment, Markus felt that he wanted to be nowhere else but with her at this very moment.

Before Silena could say anything, Markus spoke. "I know that I just got back, but - to celebrate - I want to take you out on a date."

Silena smiled coyly, wiping her eyes free from tears. "Why, Markus. I didn't take you as a budding romantic. But really, there's no need to go so far-"

"But I want to," Markus interrupted her. "Since we started dating, we've never gone on a date. Just this once, let me treat you to a date that you deserve and will hopefully like."

Silena just sighed, snuggling close to the son of Poseidon. "Fine, since you're so stubborn. But I can't go out like this. Let me change-"

"No need," Markus said with a smile on his face. "You're fine the way you are. Besides, the method of transport won't require you to change into anything."

At Silena's confusion, he stepped away from her, grinning. He mentally removed his speedster clothing and used his newly taught space/time magic to summon an artefact that he'd acquired during his training. Through a white summoned portal, a golden vimana slowly came out. It looked exactly like it did in the ancient texts that Markus discovered **(A.N. - Similar to Gilgamesh's vinama in the anime)**. It was one of the tricks that Markus had learnt under studying with Dalf.

Silena's eyes went wide-eyed as she stared at the ancient contraption. "M-Markus. Wh-What is this?"

"Our chariot," Markus answered cheekily. He walked up to her, taking her hand in his, he smiled gently. "Come on, babe. Just come with me, relax, and enjoy the long ride ahead."

Pulling the shocked daughter of Aphrodite with him, he carried her to the vinama, stepping unto it and sitting down in the chair, feeling like a king as soon as he sat on it. At Silena questioning on where she was going to sit, Markus just patted his lap while grinning. Rolling her eyes, Silena decided to just go with it. And so she sat on his lap, wiggling her rear on his crotch and getting Markus to grin even wider at the action. He was already loving this trip, and it hadn't even started.

And so, with Markus' mental command, the vimana rose off the ground and levitated. As soon as they were high enough, he commanded it to zoom off, moving at speeds similar to his own. Silena held onto him through the whole process, making Markus enjoy the contact immensely.

And so both demigods spent the evening touring around different parts of the world. From looking at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to enjoying the beautiful sites in Tokyo, to enjoying all of the beautiful architecture in Rome. They even went to Greece, enjoying the trip and looking at all the statues and scaring all of the residing nymphs on the original Mount Olympus.

There was no grumpy Zeus to interrupt them, courtesy of the protection of the vimana. No training for them to continue. Just two demigods, enjoying the trip around most of the world, both of them in love with each other. It was perfect.

 **Complete. Even managed to end on a happy note. Markus and Silena ~ sittin' in a tree ~ K-I-S-S-I-N- Okay I think you get the idea.**

 **So... here, Markus has finished his training as a champion of Susanoo and has learned and gained numerous abilities. Some awesome. Some powerful. And others OP. Like, seriously OP.**

 **To DrackNath and your suggestion on Megi's lightning ability from Mahou Sensei Negima Magic World and the Tournament Arc for Third Gear. Sorry, bud. I decided to go with Killua's Godspeed from Hunter x Hunter. Not that I didn't like your suggestion, or Megi's lightning ability. It's just that Godspeed stood out to me. But thanks for the suggestion.**

 **Now for an explanation on some things: for the part where he trained with the Shinto priest, I based most of the stuff he learned from the Rinnegan techniques from Naruto. I talked a lot about Naruto in this chapter, but that's because the anime/manga has Shinto/Buddhist roots. Anyways, the two techniques that he knows are Limbo and the Human Path, minus the soul sucking. Why? They're two of my favourite techniques. He doesn't have the full abilities, since they are ridiculously OP. And I know he already knows OP stuff, but still. So the requirement for Limbo is that it the clones can only be sensed by those who have very good senses (some gods) or those who have a connection with the astral plane of existence.**

 **Responding to the Guest reviewers: first the one who asked about the multiple crossovers... dunno yet. I might do other crossovers later on.**

 **Next, the one who came up with the idea with the chains. I love your idea and I plan to add it, thanks. And as for the Wonder Woman bracelets, it's a good idea. Dunno if I'll add it, but I could now that you gave me the idea, thanks.**

 **Markus' actual level of strength of power is a bit hard to scale, since power-scaling in Percy Jackson isn't exactly... accurate is some cases. So if I get something wrong, hopefully I'll be forgiven. Anyway, currently Markus could fight most of the second generation Olympians if he were to go all out. That being Apollo, Hermes, Artemis, etc. In terms of fighting. In other areas, he's beat, e.g. Athena in knowledge and wisdom, Hermes in speed (only slightly I guess, unless he were to go into his divine form), etc. Big Three class is out of his reach. At least for now.**

 **Next chapter is the start of the Titan's Curse. Hooray! Finally! This is one of my favourite books and I'm brimming with excitement! One reason is because it has the intro of some of my favourite characters, that being Artemis, Zoe, Nico and Bianca. Along with others, but meh.**

 **Thanks to all those who f, f, r and r the story. I luv y'all! Kisses and hugs all around.**

 **Thanks! Read and Review!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37:**

Markus was in his apartment, listening to some music while he played with his Nintendo DS. He was addicted to Super Mario Bros and was hoping to rescue the damn princess and kick Bowser's ass. Seriously, why was Peach always getting kidnapped? She was a damn princess! She could get much better protection against Bowser whenever he tried to kidnap her. Or better yet, save herself! Why was she always relying on Mario to save her? She was the definition of damsel in distress.

Markus wanted to go back to camp, since he hadn't been there since he came back from his training trip. But he wanted it to be a surprise. He wanted to show up in an awesome fashion, looking all badass and stuff, with a cool pose and - oh, clothes! Couldn't forget that.

But the actual reason that he hadn't gone back yet was because of his job in rescuing Nico and Bianca di Angelo. He was going to rescue them, but he was going to let the others handle the legwork. From Silena - who was at camp - he knew that Grover had spotted two 'unknown' half-bloods with a powerful scent, and that he'd already took Thalia, Annabeth and Percy with him. Not only that, but he'd received notice from Hades that his two children were freed and that he should uphold his end of the deal they'd made.

So he gave the group an hour headstart. He wanted to see if they were able to handle themselves. Then he'd swoop in, save the kids and and deal with any fallout that was going to happen. Markus knew that the group would be mad at him for stealing their thunder, but he had a job to do.

Hearing a beeping noise from an alarm that he'd set up, he knew that it was time. Dropping his game, he set out, grabbing his gear and clothes. Done with all that, he vapour-travelled to his location.

 _Westover Hall, Outside..._

Percy Jackson watched in glee as he slashed and hacked at the darting and retreating figure of the disguised manticore, Dr. Thorn. Ever since his brother Markus had left for a trip only gods knew where, he and the others had continued their personal training, and had made excellent progress.

He'd gotten better with his dual-wielding, and had come a long way in using his powers. Like Markus, he could now control ice with ease, along with vapour. Although vapour-travel was still something that he found draining, he'd managed to accomplish it.

Not only him, but Annabeth and Thalia had gotten better than before. Annabeth could now use throwing knives with the same accuracy that children of Apollo could use bows. Plus she was very skilled at unarmed combat. Since Markus had left, she had no one to train her in combat. Understandably pissed, she sought out other sources. She sparred daily with Clarisse and Silena - who'd become skilled in martial combat as well - and learned how to fight. It turns out that being the daughter of Athena didn't just give Annabeth increased smarts. As a daughter of a war goddess, Annabeth had an aptitude for fighting, be it with weapons or fists. It wasn't as noticeable as with children of Ares, but it was there. So she soaked up the teachings like a sponge. She'd also taken to dual-wielding with two daggers, her own one and another one of a similar fashion, but more sharper.

With Thalia, her lightning and wind control had increased greatly. Her bolts were more powerful, and she could now control her lightning in the same manner that Percy had seen Markus do. He didn't know how, but she just said that it was through trial and error. There wasn't really that much improvement in her spear-wielding, since she was already good with it, but she did still train with it.

Even Katie and Silena had made significant improvement in their own personal skills, both impressing and scaring Percy slightly with their progress.

But right now, he was focused on dodging the spikes that produced from Thorn's tail. While the manticore had given himself room, he was left defenseless to the couple of knives that got lodged into his back. He roared, turning to glare at the smirking Annabeth. He made to move, but was then hit by a bolt of lightning courtesy of Thalia, causing him to get fried and smoking.

Behind Grover, stood the two half-bloods that he was sent to protect. They were both siblings. They also had looks of horror and awe at the scene playing in front of them.

Thorn snarled at the demigods. "You'll pay for that!" he snarled, but his voice was filled with pain from the lightning, making it less intimidating.

Thalia smirked, her long hair tied in a ponytail. She'd taken to growing out her hair rather than keeping it short. "Really? Because from where I'm standing, you sound like a drowned kitten, not at all threatening," she taunted. "Also, I'd be careful if I were you."

"And why is that?" Thorn snarled. When Thalia pointed behind him, he whirled, seeing a wave of snow rising and enveloping him, crushing under the weight. He roared in anger and defiance as he was crushed into gold dust.

"Nice job, Kelp Head," Thalia said to Percy, who'd controlled the snow to kill Thorn.

"Thanks, Porcupine Head," he said back, relieved.

Just as the group managed to calm down and go towards the kids, there were loud growls and roars as, past the undergrowth of trees, more monsters appeared. Dozens of dracanae, cyclopes, hellhounds and empousai and more the demigods couldn't fully see. There had to have been over a hundred monsters, all armed to the teeth and covered with armour.

"Why are there more monsters here?!" Annabeth asked, alarmed. Despite being confident in herself and her friends' skills, they couldn't take that many monsters.

"I-I don't know!" Grover stuttered out in fear. "M-Maybe it's because of all of your combined scents! Percy and Thalia are children of the Big Three along with Annabeth!"

"Yeah, but there should be only up to roughly twenty monsters, not over a hundred!" Percy said, holding out his swords, even though he knew it was futile. He could try crushing them with snow or using the nearby water, but he could see archers among the army of monsters. They would probably shoot him down before he could even try.

"It doesn't matter!" Thalia yelled, brandishing her spear and shield. "We have to fight!" Although her voice was a little shaky as she said that. She was trying to hide her fear. The scene was similar to her death at Half-Blood Hill, and she was getting bad flashbacks.

"We're going to die!" the little boy behind Grover cried out, no longer feeling awe at the scene and realizing the situation that they were in. He buried his head into his sister's side, who tried comforting him to no avail.

Just as the demigods were about to fight, they saw silver arrows shoot from the side covered by trees towards the front line of the monsters, killing some while others deflected the arrows.

Percy looked to Annabeth as she sighed in relief. "The Hunters!" she called out, relieved.

"Oh... _wonderful_ ," Thalia groaned beside him, not happy to see them.

The son of Poseidon looked to where the arrows had come from and after taking note of their cloaks and drawn bows, he was shocked when he saw that each of the attackers were girls near his age, some a year or two younger. One in the front, with long black hair and a silver circlet around her head, drew her bow back further, before she spoke. "Shall I shoot, Milady?"

A young girl around the age of twelve or thirteen said from the back, "Negative, Zoe. There's too many of them for a single shot. Hunters, stand ready. The enemy may be vast, but I have faith that-"

The girl was interrupted by a loud sound that came from something crashing to the ground, right beside Percy. The snow and ground cratered under the unknown figure's landing. Percy jumped in surprise as he raised his swords. The other demigods and Hunters trained their weapons on the obscured figure. The gathered monsters also turned their heads to the scene.

The smoke created from the landing kept on obscuring the figure, but the only thing seen were two glowing green eyes that seemed familiar to the demigods. The figure waved their hand, the smoke being pushed away. What was revealed was a very handsome boy around the age of seventeen or eighteen. He wore a grey jacket with white fur lining the collar which was left open, showing a black muscle shirt that that showed his very defined muscles underneath. Added to that, he wore black jeans held together by a black belt with a gold buckle. Topping it off he wore brown leather boots that went up to below his knees. He had gold earrings pierced on his ears. Thalia, Annabeth and Bianca blushed at seeing him, liking what they saw. Although the former two felt like they knew the boy.

Another thing that was noticed was a sword at his hip that was sheathed. It was a Japanese katana held in a black sheath. It had a gold guard along with a white and black hilt.

Despite his normal appearance, he had a dangerous aura around him, like he was going to kill everyone there. His eyes scanned his surroundings like a predator. He looked over the demigods from Camp Half-Blood - who he smiled at, confusing them - then looked at the Hunters of Artemis, his eyes lighting up when he saw a few of them. His gaze drifted towards the gathered monsters who looked at the boy with confusion in their eyes, and his gaze turned from friendly to bored, as if he didn't consider them a threat. Finally, his gaze landed on the two siblings behind Grover, who squirmed when his eyes landed on them. Seeing this, the demigods tensed.

"Who are you?" the girl that spoke before asked him, her voice powerful and suspicious.

The unknown boy ignored her, something she didn't take kindly to. "Answer me, boy. Who are you?" She said 'boy' like it was meant to sound worse than it actually was.

He ignored her again, his gaze landing on Percy, who felt a shiver run up his spine. His eyes were glowed with power, but also shone with mirth.

He grinned, showcasing perfect white teeth. "Well, nice to see you again, baby brother." His voice was deep and strong, confidence lacing his tone.

Percy's eyes went wide, as did the others demigods and satyr. Only one person they knew called Percy that, something that they knew that he hated. Now they knew why the person seemed so familiar. "Markus?!" they exclaimed in shock.

Chuckling, he nodded. "Good to see you, too. Though I wish I could meet you guys again on better circumstances. I'll take care of our 'guests'." He gestured to the army of monsters, who still hadn't attacked yet, for some odd reason.

Markus unsheathed his sword at his hip, the blade curved and beautifully crafted. Something the demigods also noted was the fact that there were some markings on the blade of the sword, something that they couldn't read.

And with that, he vanished. Eyes wide in shock, they tried looking for where he went, before hearing the sound of feet hitting the ground behind them. Whirling around, they saw Markus standing in front of the army of monsters. They roared and screeched, advancing on the lone demigod. Instead of fear, Markus had his previous bored expression. "Pathetic," he scoffed.

Then he disappeared again. Before the others could look for him, he reappeared again in the same spot, his body in a stance that was similar to how samarai did, at least in their eyes. His sword was being sheathed at a slow pace. When it was sheathed with a _click_ , the monsters were surrounded by what looked to be purple lines that appeared at different angles above and between them.

They suddenly screamed as the lines slowly faded, disappearing into gold dust one at a time. It happened so quickly that neither of the demigods, or even the Hunters watching, could follow.

Suddenly looking up, he saw a black military helicopter pierced through the Mist surrounding them. Concentrating, Markus made the pilot of the helicopter burst from the inside, using his blood. The pilot screamed in pain as his body exploded in a shower of blood, skin, chunky flesh and messy organs that splattered the windows of the helicopter. The aircraft fell towards his father's domain, hitting the ocean and exploding in a huge display. The others watched, confused at the whole scene.

Markus sighed, cracking his neck. "Not even a challenge," he commented, walking towards the two siblings protected by Grover. He ignored the awed looks from the demigods and the wary looks from the Hunters.

"Halt, boy," the girl from before called out. Markus continued ignoring her. "I said halt!" she almost yelled out, her calm composure fading to reveal an angry one.

Markus kept walking, his hand reaching up to catch the arrow sailing towards his face. Looking to see exactly where it was shot, Markus applied kinetic energy to the arrow and threw it back to the Hunter who shot it three times as hard initially. It pierced her hand, the pain coming to her a moment after it hit her hand. She screamed in agony as the motion and projectile almost allowed the arrow to go through her hand. She dropped her bow in pain, cradling her injured hand. Other Hunters surrounded her, tending to her hand. The rest glared at Markus, but shivered as he glared back, anger dancing in his eyes.

Instead of retorting, he disappeared again, reappearing in front of Grover, who almost tripped over his hooves in shock. Smiling apologetically, Markus reached behind him, grabbing the two siblings, easily carrying them with his superior strength.

"Hey! Hey, let us go!" the younger boy shouted, trying to move out of Markus' grip. The girl was doing the same, trying to kick and scream at him, but to no avail.

The Hunters shot at Markus, angry at the boy for insulting their patron and injuring one of their own. Faster than they could see, Markus disappeared again in pure speed, the arrows hitting where he stood and shocking all those present.

He came to a stop when he was far away from the two groups, carrying the two siblings who were still struggling. "Hey. Hey!" he said to to the two. "Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you. Relax." He held his arms out, showing that he wasn't going to hurt them.

Nico and Bianca visibly calmed down, though they still looked at Markus with suspicion. "Who are you?" Bianca asked.

Markus smiled, making Bianca blush slightly. "A friend," he answered simply. "And I'm just doing a job for a... relative." Turning to one side, he hissed, "Alecto!"

Suddenly, shadows folded and formed to reveal Alecto in her Fury form. Grabbing the two siblings again, he pushed them towards the Fury, who grabbed them in her hands.

"H-Hey! You said that you weren't going to hurt us!" Nico shouted out, now angry and trying to move out of the struggling Fury's grip. Bianca was the same, looking towards Markus with anger and betrayal.

Wincing slightly at their look, Markus said, "And I won't. I'm just bringing you to someone who wants to see you very dearly." He nodded towards Alecto. "Protect them," he said simply.

Alecto nodded, baring her fangs. She dragged the struggling siblings towards her, shadows wrapping around their forms and transporting them away.

Scowling, Markus ran back to the clearing. When the Hunters saw him again, they raised their bows to shoot, but stopped when Markus unleashed his bloodlust among the clearing, scaring all of the occupants and bringing them to their knees except the one girl who'd spoken before, though she did look tense.

This bloodlust was a little trick he'd learned while training. It was basically him bringing out his desire and lust to kill, something that he'd seen Zerith do. Due to the added demonic power and power he had, his bloodlust was more potent.

Percy and the others gasped in shock and fear as they were brought to their knees, the sudden shift in presence affecting them heavily. It made their fight or flight instincts flare, with the latter seeming like something they were leaning towards. Percy, Annabeth and Grover compared it to the time to Hades' aura when they met the god, though it was much less potent but still very powerful. The demigods and satyr flinched as they literally saw their own deaths in their minds, even if the bloodlust wasn't aimed at them.

Markus glared at the kneeling Hunters, his eyes turning red. "Did it not occur to you," he hissed silently to them, "that you could've hit the children? That, in your stupidity, you would've injured innocent children who have done no wrong?"

The Hunters choked, trying to get rid of the almost unholy feeling that was directed at them. They were saved, however, when the little girl still standing up released a godly presence, signalling who she was.

"Do not insult my hunters, boy," the goddess spoke sharply. "They're skills are top notch. And should you not bow before an Olympian goddess?"

Markus scoffed, calling off his bloodlust since she countered it with her godly aura. "I bow before those I respect, Artemis. Just because you are an Olympian, does not mean you have my respect. You earn it. And your Hunters are judgemental fools who can't see things for what they are."

"How dare you insult Lady Artemis you disgusting pi-" the girl with the silver circlet and long black hair angrily spoke out, before she was cut off from moving due to Markus controlling her blood to stop her from moving. He did it to all the other Hunters, except those he saved from Circe's island which he recognised. The Hunters' eyes were wide as they struggled to break the mysterious hold that they were in, but Markus' control far surpassed their willpower.

"I wasn't talking to you pissant," Markus spoke arrogantly, glaring daggers at the frozen girl. "When your better addresses you, then you can speak."

The girls glared at him, but he just sneered at them. Artemis stepped forward, allowing Markus to see her features. Even as a twelve year old, she was breathtakingly beautiful. She had long auburn hair and silvery-yellow eyes that were glaring lasers at him. If he were any lesser man, he would've wilted under her glare. She had milky skin that reflected in the moonlight.

"Release my Hunters from your hold, filthy male," she snarled, power glowing in her eyes. Markus didn't feel threatened in the slightest. He even grinned. "Make me," he challenged. Wanting to add fuel to the fire, he mentally commanded them to move their bodies. He could've done it without a word, but it was much more fun saying words. "Kneel," he ordered, making the girls - that were controlled - go down on one knee, gritting their teeth in frustration and anger, but powerless to do anything.

He looked towards Artemis, who's aura was visible and glowing in rage. He shrugged. "I wouldn't be doing this if your Hunters hadn't shot at me. I'm a pretty easy-going guy, despite having a temper. But your bitches just had to shoot at me when I basically did their job for them and protected two innocent half-bloods. But no!" He was purposefully taunting the goddess, wanting to make her snap. The reason being was simple: he was bored and wanted a challenge. The monsters were boring to him. Due to his training, he hadn't had much of a challenge, in terms of training or fighting. He wanted something to make him sweat, and fighting a goddess was just the thing he needed. He didn't care that he was being arrogant, as he had the advantage. The snow and the nearby ocean.

Practically burning holes into his head, Artemis snapped her fingers, trying to transform Markus into a jackalope, wanting to punish the foolish demigod. Suspecting this, Markus quickly called on his own divine energy and coated his entire body in it, shielding himself from the goddess' transformation. It was a trick that Susanoo had taught him. When gods turned mortals into animals, they usually do this by exerting their godly willpower over them, dominating them and successfully turning them into animals. But since Markus defended himself with his own energy, and the fact that he had a rather powerful will, he was saved from this.

At the goddess' shocked look, he grinned. "Was that supposed to do something?"

Snarling, she brandished two silver hunter knives in her hands out of thin air. She dashed forward, moving at speeds faster than any mortal could hope to achieve.

Good thing Markus was used to such speeds.

As the goddess came closer to him, Markus reached out, grabbing the wrist that was about to stab him with one of the knives and held her wrist firmly, using his strength to do so.

At her shocked look, he grinned. "Got to do better than that, girlie."

And so Markus raised his foot and Spartan-kicked her in the chest, sending her flying like a human airplane. Artemis flipped and landed with grace and elegance. Now, she wasn't mad. She was furious.

"I will skin you alive, _boy!_ Then I will castrate you and send your remains to your father!" she roared in absolute fury, her form shimmering. Her silver clothing shone brightly and her eyes were nothing but a silvery pool of _hate_.

She disappeared in pure speed. Markus decided to use his War God Speed Impulse, for caution's sake, of course. As his reaction time sped up, Markus could see the slow moving Artemis, looking to kick him in the chest. Seeing her small but lithe form tensing, he could tell how much power she was packing into her kick. Markus simply stepped to one side, dodging the attack completely.

As she passed him, she struck out, going for a wide kick that would've knocked his head off if it had connected. Using his War God Speed Impulse, Markus bent backwards. But instead of letting her pass, he grabbed her outstretched leg.

He grinned at her shocked face. And then he smashed her body onto the ground while holding her leg, her twelve year old body making it easy for him to do so. The ground cracked where he slammed her into. And then he slammed her again to his right. And again to his left. And again to his right. **(A.N. - Identical to the scene where Hulk manhandled Loki in the Avengers movie).**

He grinned as he held her dazed form. Then, spinning, he swung her around like a rag doll and threw her, the goddess sailing through the air and gaining serious distance before destroying several trees in her landing, her body hitting a part of the forest.

The Hunters watched, horrified. They wanted to help their mistress and kill the male, but they were unable to move.

Markus whistled. "Man that was some distance," he noted. Suddenly, his arm reached up and caught the arrow that would've pierced his skull and destroyed his brain. His hand smoked lightly from the contact. Artemis must've infused her divine energy into it to make the shot more powerful.

Markus looked up to see Artemis coming from the clearing, but instead of being in her twelve year old form, she was now eighteen years old. Her auburn hair was longer, her face was more beautiful, her curves were prominent and became full, and her muscles had increased.

"You _will_ show me respect, boy," she growled, her aura becoming more powerful than before.

Markus scoffed, snapping the arrow in his hand. "You are seriously so one-dimensional. Boy this, male that. Come on, where's your battle banter? Does _no one_ have any good battle banter these days?" Markus quickly tilted his head to dodge a speeding arrow. "You missed." He ducked his head to avoid another arrow. "Missed again." He vibrated his body, phasing through one that packed a lot of power into it. "Are you even trying anymore?" he asked mockingly.

"Will. You. Shut. UP?!" she howled in fury, her power flaring. She moved forward, her figure faster than before.

Sighing, Markus decided to continue his test run. Quickly speeding up his bloodflow, he activated his Second Gear. Just before she reached his position, he disappeared in pure speed. Whirling her head around, she tried locating where he was. She found him a few seconds later when she felt a fist punch her on top of her skull from above, courtesy of Markus punching her while he was suspended in the air. The force of the punch was so hard that Artemis' face was dented into the ground and formed quite a large crater.

Markus landed on the ground, dismissing Second Gear. While his opponent was down, he concentrated on the snow beneath his feet. He used the snow to write exploding runes out of snow and channelled his magic throughout the ground, similar to sonar. His trap set, Markus grinned in anticipation as he waited for the goddess to recover.

He didn't have to wait long. Artemis sped out of the crater and headed towards him, a mad glint in her eyes. She had no weapons, she just ran at him with her fist raised, ready to pummel him.

Wanting to test out his powers even more, Markus mentally summoned lightning from the heavens, calling a giant bolt of lightning down and striking the incoming goddess. Artemis screamed in pain as she was electrocuted, her form being zapped very heavily and even caused an X-ray vision of herself to show as she was shocked. Did gods even have skeletons?

Still pondering, Markus caused the lightning to spread across her body, causing her to kneel in pain as she panted, smoke drifting off her burnt body. Parts of her milky skin had blackened.

Markus raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Kind of ironic that a daughter of Zeus was hurt by lightning. Then again you're a goddess and not a demigoddess, so maybe it's different for you. Oh well."

Markus was having fun, if he was being honest. He was never this calm or cocky when fighting an opponent. So he was going to enjoy himself and act a little playful.

Grinning widely, Markus cast his first spell during this battle. One that he personally invented. Holding out his hand, golden lightning coated it. He gave the lightning form and substance.

Artemis made to interrupt him while he was preparing his spell, but was caught off guard by the explosion runes that he mentally activated. The goddess caught the full force of one of the explosions, which contained a sizeable chunk of magic. Thankfully, he was able to form his spell thanks to the distraction.

On Markus' right arm was a gold lightning dragon's head, which had red eyes and a sharp and a deadly lightning maw. It roared, eager to destroy the one it was about to be unleashed on. Artemis' eyes widened while Markus gave a sadistic grin.

"Dodge this!" he yelled to the goddess, pulling his fist up and punching forward, calling out his spell. "Lightning Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" he roared, the dragon head being unleashed and launched forward at the speed of lightning towards the injured goddess loud roar.

If it weren't for her reflexes saving her, Artemis would've been in trouble. She managed to avoid the spell by dodging, but she wasn't completely unscathed. Her right arm was caught by the lightning dragon's head. As soon as it made contact with the limb, the head grew in size before detonating, unleashing a massive wave of electricity that shocked Artemis intensely and caused an explosion to occur. One that gathered a large amount of smoke and destroyed most of the ground that she stood on, as well as made the surrounding demigods and satyr move.

The stray arcs of lightning from the spell struck bits of the school that was behind them, destroying bits of it. Thankfully, the mortals were fooled by the Mist and weren't harmed.

Markus wasn't focused on that, however. What he was focused on was the clearing smoke and the damaged, almost broken figure of the moon goddess. Artemis was practically on her last legs. Her body was stooped down and she was cradling her useless, blackened, and almost crispy arm that dangled loosely at her side. The arm was held by practically strips of flesh. Ichor was pooling at her feet and coming from wounds all over her body. Her clothing was almost destroyed on her chest and legs, showcasing a silver bra and panties that also looked destroyed. One thing that hadn't changed was her burning glare, even with all the injuries that she'd suffered.

Suddenly Artemis bent over, one arm slack, and coughed out ichor due to the pain that she was in. She looked up, looking absolutely livid at the cocky smirk on Markus' face.

"THAT IS IT!" she screamed out, her silver eyes showing hatred and madness. She probably went insane at the idea of a demigod - no, a _male_ \- leaving her in such a state. "I WILL DESTROY YOU _BOY_! I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE SENT TO TARTARUS!"

Her aura was now shrouding her entire form. Markus watched as she grew in size, growing higher and higher. She stopped when she was about fifteen feet in height. Her massive bow aimed down at him in preparation to wipe him off the face of the Earth.

Markus sighed. "Damn. And I didn't even want to bring it out yet. Oh, well." Markus vapour-travelled towards the opening where the cliff was, and then he fell. Straight towards the ocean. He made a diving motion as he was unconcerned about the height, it not being a bother to him.

As he hit the water, he felt the usual increase in power that he got whenever he got into contact with water. And he knew what to do.

As Artemis stared, a gigantic water geyser rose upwards from the ocean. The geyser easily surpassed her in terms of height. Then at the top of the geyser, part of the water split into twelve long branches that grew in size at the top. The top of the twelve branches formed into familiar heads. Dragon heads.

The heads were more unique than normal dragon heads. Their eyes were wide and sea green, the same as Markus'. Their design was similar to the ancient dragons in the myths **(A.N. - The dragon heads and wings are identical in design to the Red Dragon Archfiend from Yu-Gi-Oh)**.

Next, the lower body of the geyser formed the lower body of the monstrosity. Large claws on the hands were created, along with the torso becoming thick due to the added hardened water. It's legs touched the water and slightly sank, although it didn't hinder its movements. The large wings that formed were large and dangerous, showcasing large spikes and fangs on top of the corner.

Twelve sets of sea green eyes glared down at the moon goddess, and the dragon heads roared. Artemis looked at the water construct with shock and a little fear, but hid it very well.

Markus stood on top of one of the heads, smirking down at his opponent. He spread his arms, showcasing his creation.

"Well, Artemis," he spoke with arrogance. "You wanted to play with size? Here you go. An Olympian goddess versus my Twelve-Headed Dragon Construct. I wonder which one is stronger?"

And with a wave of his hand, one of the dragon heads gazed at Artemis and shot highly pressurised water from its mouth towards the goddess. Despite increasing in size, the goddess hadn't lost her speed. She managed to dodge the attack that pulverized the ground beside her, creating a gigantic hole that was cleanly cut and made.

Artemis propped an arrow on her bow and launched it, the projectile humming with power. The arrow hit two of the heads, destroying them instantly. Looking at the smirking goddess, Markus raised an eyebrow and used the ocean that he was standing on the regenerate the destroyed heads, looking good as new. He smirked at her shocked face.

Just as he was about to continue, he was interrupted by a bolt of lightning that wasn't summoned by him heading straight for him. Rolling his eyes at the interference of Zeus, Markus commanded one of the heads to move, catching the bolt instead. However, instead of disintegrating, he mentally commanded the dragon head to absorb the electricity. The head, instead of being made of just water, was now a lightning-water dragon head.

Multiple bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, with Markus absorbing each one into his dragon heads. Now his Twelve-Headed Dragon Construct now had lightning added to it, ultimately making it stronger.

Markus smirked as the bolts stopped firing, doing no damage. "Thanks King Dumbass! You just made your daughter's defeat even easier!"

Seeing him distracted, Artemis - instead of using her bow - fired a powerful beam of moonlight from her palm towards him. Not even looking at the incoming attack, Markus commanded one of the heads to fire a storm laser composed of water and lightning. Both attacks collided and caused a massive explosion to occur where they had contacted.

Not being deterred, Markus had three of his dragon heads dart forward, passing through the remains of the explosion and biting down on Artemis' bow arm, neck and shoulder. The goddess screamed in pain as she was electrocuted from the dragons and had said parts almost crushed from the combined water pressure.

Taking this chance, Markus had his dragons fire continuous storm lasers from each head. The attacks were fired simultaneously, connecting with the goddess one after the other. Artemis could do nothing but scream as each laser damaged her even further. One powerful one blasted through her arm completely, leaving a giant hole in it and evaporating any ichor leaking it out. The cauterised wound made Artemis screech even more. Another was launched at her shoulder, severing her other arm. Another was launched at the side of her face, burning the side of her face.

The barrage of lasers were so powerful and destructive that the demigods, satyr and Hunters (who were now free from Markus' control) ran out of the clearing, heading into the forest to avoid the beams.

Westover Hall was hit by a few stray lasers that destroyed half of the school. Panicking mortals ran out, some crying in fear and others praying to any higher power listening to save them. Dozens of unfortunate mortals were either vaporized or crushed underneath any stray debris, killing them instantly.

Markus called back the laser barrage, looking down at the remains of the goddess. Large amounts of smoke were created from his barrage, so he called upon the wind to sweep away the smoke to see the result.

Artemis lay on a crater, passing in and out of consciousness. All she felt was pain. She couldn't feel anything, wasn't even sure she was alive. Despite being immortal, she wished that she could 'die' so that she wouldn't feel the pain. Her throat croaked, trying to say something, but nothing came out. Her good eye could only look up to the sky, hoping that her father would save her. To save her from this... this _monster_ _._ That was what Artemis thought he was. No mortal could _ever_ have this kind of power. Even the gods and some Titans couldn't put this kind of fear that she had. The thing that was even worse was that it was a _boy_ that had done this to her. All remnants of pride left her at that thought. She spent her whole life preaching about the superiority of women and how disgusting and weak men were. And yet she was on her back, defeated and broken, at the hands of a man. If she had any strength, she would spit in disgust.

As her silver eye looked up in the sky, she saw something that scared her. Those sea-green eyes gazing down at her. The colour reminded her of the one who did this to her. Who broke her and destroyed all of her pride and replaced it with fear. Something that scared her even more was the gathering of a storm laser in the mouth of the dragon head that he was standing on.

"No," she whimpered, a tear sliding down her somewhat normal cheek. "Please. N-No... no more." She didn't care how pathetic or weak she sounded. She just wanted the pain to stop.

Markus looked down at the defeated goddess with boredom, wanting to finish it. However, before he could fire, he saw a small figure from where he was standing running towards Artemis and facing him, defending the goddess and trying to protect her. How cute.

Using his increased eyesight, he focused on the figure. His boredom faded away as he saw that it was a Hunter. To be specific, one of the girls that he saved from Circe's island last year.

"Please! Don't shoot! Please!" the girl begged, going onto her knees and begging. Some of the Hunters went to her and tried to remove her, but she didn't budge. "Don't take her away! I know you're a good person! You proved that by saving me when I was on Circe's island! So please! Spare her! I beg you, please!" Tears ran down her face, not caring that she was begging.

Markus just looked down, contemplating on what he should do. He had no qualms on sparing her. He started this fight, he was damn well going to finish it. But did he really want to do it? While he had no care of wiping all of the standing Hunters out, the girl that he'd saved struck a chord in him. He didn't think it was mercy. His moral compass was pretty wonky at this point. And he already tested out his skills, which he found adequate. And while he had no fear of the Olympians, he guessed that killing one of their own wouldn't help him in the future. He wasn't worried about that, however.

Sighing, Markus cancelled the gathering energy in his dragon head and dismissed his construction. The Twelve-Headed Dragon starting falling apart, with Markus not giving it the command to hold. The water started falling towards the ocean, the lightning being dispersed. Markus used the wind to slow his descent, practically levitating downwards. All eyes were on him as his feet touched the scorched and almost destroyed ground.

He stared blankly at the gathered Hunters, acting like a shield for their member who'd begged for them and their goddess. He didn't see how Artemis was doing, nor did he care. He already knew that she was broken and defeated.

"Take your mistress and leave," Markus told them, looking directly at the one with the silver circlet. He guessed that she was the lieutenant or second-in-command. "Don't bother me again. Be thankful for the one that saved your goddess."

And then he turned and walked towards where his friends were, ignoring the glares being aimed at his back and the fear that they tried to hide but failed. He did take note of the grateful look the girl that he saved from Circe's island gave him.

Markus walked through the trees and entered a clearing, seeing all of his friends. He gave them a friendly grin. "So? How are things?"

They all just stared blankly at him, none of them even saying anything. The shock and fear was that great.

Markus squirmed a little at the fear-filled glances they were giving him. "Well, don't just stand there. Say something."

After a moment, Percy spoke. "W-What the fuck was that?" he asked, his shocked face not moving away for a while.

"Baby brother, you're going to have to be more specific," Markus said, trying to go for humour to snap them out of it. It didn't work.

"You damn well know what he's talking about!" Thalia snapped, her earlier expression gone. She marched up to him and poke him in the chest, hard. "Where the fuck did you get a Godzilla wannabe out of water shooting freaking lasers, and then-then all of that other shit that came out of nowhere! I know you're strong, but how the hell did you defeat a goddess? At full strength?!" Truth be told, Thalia's shock was replaced by relief, envy and a little lust. Relief that Markus was okay, envy that he could do all of that shit and be so damn overpowered and lust because... well, she was attracted to power. And she was a little turned on by the display of power Markus showed. Plus his new looks only added to her lust.

Markus smirked, reaching out and hugging the daughter of Zeus, getting her to squeak slightly. "I missed you too, princess," Markus said, actually meaning it. He hadn't seen her or the others for so long, and despite acting aloof he was really happy to see them. Thalia's new look did surprise him, but it looked good on her.

Thalia groaned, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "I could really go without that nickname. And where the hell were you?!"

"Training," Markus answered simply. Not a lie, just the whole truth. "I went on a... self-discovery trip and along the way I picked up a few things. By the way, when did you grow out your hair?"

Thalia removed herself from the hug, blushing a little at his question. "I... I decided to do it. Just because. New look and all. D-Do you like it?" she asked a little shyly, cursing herself for sounding weak but wondering whether he did like it. Even though she would deny if she was asked.

Markus smiled, seeing that she wanted his opinion. Due to him being more aware, he noted that she had a crush on him just as he did her. "You look more beautiful than you did before," he answered honestly.

Thalia's face resembled a tomato due to how much she was blushing. "T-Thanks," she said quietly, though Markus still caught it. He smiled at her.

The others watched the scene in shock. For as long as they knew Thalia, she never acted so... shy. She always acted so tough and gruff that it was confusing to see her like this. Well, Percy stared in confusion. Grover had an inkling of an idea as to why and Annabeth was glaring at the two in hidden envy.

"Hello!" she said loudly, catching Thalia's and Markus' attention. "You two can make lovey-dovey eyes at each other later! Where were you?! You were supposed to help me in helping me train!"

Thalia turned to glare at Annabeth while Markus raised an eyebrow. "I missed you too, Annie," Markus said, walking forward and wrapping her in a bear hug, making sure to squeeze hard.

"L-Let go of me!" she stuttered in embarrassment, her face now going like a tomato. Although she felt like she was being squished, she did like the close contact with him and his defined muscles. Annabeth's eyes turned a little dreamy as she felt them against her.

"Uh, Annie?" Markus asked, confused. Instead of struggling, she seemed to bury her face into his chest. Maybe this wasn't a good idea at a comeback. She kept wriggling in his grip that Markus got a little excited. Which showed as his groin hardened a little, liking the contact. "You can let go now." _Or don't,_ a part of his mind offered, not really bothered by her body and even liking it. She _really_ did grow while he was gone, even if it was two months for her.

Blinking, Annabeth let go of him slowly, absolutely mortified and not looking at anyone. Percy and Thalia glared at her, for different reasons. Grover just looked amused at the whole scene.

Wanting to forget the awkwardness, Markus walked up to Grover. "Good to see you, G-man," he greeted, giving the satyr a bro hug.

"Blahaha! Good to see you too, Markus," Grover greeted in his typical satyrness. Then his eyes widened in realisation. "Wait, the kids! Where did you take them?! We need to take them to camp!"

Getting the same questioning looks from the others, Markus sighed. He wondered how he was going to weasel his way out of this one. "I took them to see... someone. But don't worry, they're safe."

"But they need to go to camp!" Percy said with urgency. "They need to be trained, protected and-"

"They will receive protection and training from the one who's taking care of them," Markus interrupting, waving his brother's concern off. "Trust me. They're more protected in where they're are than they ever will be at camp."

"Want to tell us exactly where you took them and who wanted them?" Thalia asked suspiciously. "For all we know, he or she could've been a monster or even a Titan or-"

"No," Markus interrupted again, looking at Thalia. "I'm telling you, the person who wanted them is someone powerful, but it's not a monster or Titan. They're in good hands. And this person contacted me to retrieve them. So I did. In exchange, he gave me... something. Let's leave it at that. But they're well protected."

"A god, then?" Annabeth guessed, trying to figure out who it was. "Or possibly their parent?"

Markus just smiled at her, annoying the daughter of Athena.

"Anyway, let's get back to camp. I'm eager to meet the others."

"And you plan to stay this time?" Percy asked, his earlier worry forgotten for now. "Not go off on another trip or battle gods?"

Markus smirked, cuffing his brother's head playfully. "Damn straight, baby brother. I'm staying. I've missed you all."

"Get off of me!" Percy yelled, trying to struggle out of his grip, but it was useless. He did smile though, happy to have his brother back.

Markus chuckled, removing Percy from his hold. Percy scowled, but ended up smiling. "Good to have you back."

"Good to be back," Markus responded. He instructed the group the hug each other while he vapour-travelled the group to Camp Half-Blood.

 **Well... I'm done.**

 **Hope y'all liked the chapter. I'm pretty happy on how it came out.**

 **So, we have Markus and the others reuniting (yay!), meeting the Hunters of Artemis (meh.), a quick preview of how the others have developed over the last two months, saw Yamato in use for the first time (awesome!), Markus rescuing Nico and Bianca, pissing on the Hunters, and defeating Artemis with little to no ease. Which I was very eager to write.**

 **Several things to note:**

 **1) The fight with Artemis. I wanted to extend the fight between the two, but if I did, the surrounding area would be completely destroyed. Also, Markus was toying with her. He still has much, much more tricks up his sleeve that he hasn't revealed yet. Also, I had Artemis use her 'giant' that all gods have to fight rather than using her divine form. Reason? I mainly wanted to introduce the Twelve-Headed Dragon (whcih was very cool writing) while also using something different than her divine form.**

 **2) The rest of the campers - well, the ones that I focus on - will be much stronger and skilled than their canon counterparts. You probably already know this but I'm just putting it out there.**

 **3) During the quest, I'll add more elements to it, like more enemies and monsters, along with twists and turns, to the questers. I want to spice things up and add a little excitement. If I didn't, I'd write the entire quest with Markus one-shotting everything and everyone. It'd be a bit boring, so I want to give other characters their little spotlight.**

 **4) The harem. No changes just want to list the members. Some people don't know who's in it, so I want to list the members:**

 **Annabeth, Thalia, Silena, Katie, Zoe, Bianca, Piper, Aphrodite, Hestia, Athena, Artemis, Hylla. These are the members that are definitely in. I may add others later.**

 **5) Responding the the Guest reviews. First, the Markus vs. everyone fight. I will put that up later since that's a really (and I mean REALLY) exciting and fun piece to write. That will definitely be written up. Second, Markus' own brand of magic. That is a very interesting idea and I can juggle it in my mind for later. Thanks for the idea, since it's really cool and I'd like to add it possibly. Third, pressurised water cutting is a very awesome idea. I will add it to his arsenal. Never did think of it until now, so thanks. Finally, the camp's reaction will be SO funny to write to the new Markus. Girls fawning over him and guys envying him... oh, that's going to be very funny to write.**

 **Yeah, that's pretty much it. Dunno what else to say.**

 **Thanks to all those who f, f, r and r the story. Again, I love all your support. Thanks very much.**

 **Read and Review!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38:**

Markus vapour-travelled everyone to camp, all four demigods and satyr safe and sound. Annabeth, Thalia and Grover all shuddered, not used to vapour-travel. Their skins were slightly wet from the experience.

"I don't think I want to travel like that again," Annabeth said, trying to recompose herself. She glared at the snickering sons of Poseidon, who were perfectly dry. "A little help?" she asked, gesturing towards the trio.

"I don't know. Should we?" Markus asked Percy while chuckling. "It is kind of funny."

"Yeah. Maybe we should-" Percy was about to say something, but stopped at seeing the furious looks on Thalia and Annabeth. At their combined glares, he wilted like a flower. "Uhh, maybe I should dry them." With a wave of his hand, all of the water on the trio's bodies vanished, leaving them dry.

"Pussy," Markus muttered, rolling his eyes. He then looked at camp, and was shocked. "i didn't know that it could snow at camp," he said, seeing the snow on the ground and on top of the cabins. Markus was feeling nostalgic as glanced around. The eight months that he spent training really made him miss camp. The canoe, his cabin, his friends... he sighed in contentment as kept on looking.

He walked with the others towards the Big House. Frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and weirdest of all, a fire flickered in the attic window of the Big House, where the Oracle dwelt, imprisoned in an old mummified body.

As they walked, the others were asking Markus about his trip. He replied that he'd learned new magic, went around the world a bit - when he mentioned his trip to Greece, Annabeth kept on hounding him with questions about Parthenon, in which he replied as best as he could - and other stuff that he did that was kept hidden.

There another thing that confused Markus and Percy. There was barely anyone in camp during winter. Just the year-rounders were there - the ones who didn't have homes to go to, or would get attacked by monsters too much if they left. But there didn't even seem to be many of them, either.

Charles Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin stoking the forge outside the camp armoury. The Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, from the Hermes cabin, were picking the lock on the camp store. A few kids from the Ares cabin were having a snowball fight with the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest. Markus noticed that Clarisse wasn't around. He noticed that Percy was just fine with that. He did, however, notice that Silena was there and she smiled brightly him as they passed. He responded by giving her a wink as they passed.

The Big House was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate. Mr. D, the camp director, and Chiron were playing a quiet game of cards in the parlor.

Chiron's brown beard was shaggier for the winter. His curly hair had grown a little longer. He wasn't posing as a teacher this year, so that meant he could afford to be casual. He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoof print design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely.

He smiled when he saw the group walk. "Percy! Thalia! Annabeth! Grover! And Markus? Very good to see you all again." He blinked, seeing just them come in. "I assume that the mission was a success?"

"Well, not quite," Grover said with a pointed look towards Markus. The others did the same. He just grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, no. What did Mary do this time around?" Mr. D asked with his typical drawl as he dealt his cards.

"Good to see you too, Mr. Dick," Markus responded with too much glee in his voice. Grover bleated in shock while the others looked at him in shock as well.

Chiron almost dropped his cards in nervousness as Dionysus narrowed his purple eyes at the demigod. "I'm sorry. I must be going hard of hearing. Could you repeat that to me Marcie?" he asked dangerously.

Markus just grinned at him. "You heard me, you sorry excuse for a drunk," he said with far too much cheerfulness that didn't match the words that he'd spoken.

"Markus, shut up now!" Grover told him nervously as he grabbed at the demigod's arm, but Markus shook him off.

"No, Grover. I know what I'm doing. And quite frankly, I'm sick of Mr. Dickless acting like a spoilt brat because daddy gave him a time-out."

Mr. D's eyes became purple swirls as he looked at the arrogant boy before him. He went to turn him into a squirrel, only to be surprised that nothing happened. "Wha-" he asked in shock.

Markus' grin became wider. "Was that all you got? That was pathetic."

The god's face turned purple in rage as he tried to delve into Markus' mind and drive him into madness, only to recoil slightly, like he'd hit a brick wall. He exited from his mind as Markus gave him a knowing grin.

"Tried to drive me mad, eh?" Markus tutted. "That won't work on me. I think it's time that I showed _you_ something to fear." He mentally thanked Tim for helping him shield his mind from mental attacks thanks to learning Shinto magic. No mental attacks, be it mind-reading, charm-speaking or illusions would work on him, since his mental shields were very strong.

"Yūrei Idō (Ghost Movement)," Markus chanted under his breath. Suddenly, one of the legs that held Mr. D's chair broke suddenly, causing the god to fall into a heap. Markus quickly stepped towards him and held the god's shoulder, removing any kinetic energy from his body.

Dionysus tried to move, but couldn't. It was like he was stuck in a block of ice. He couldn't even speak. His eyes showed incoming madness and anger, though that quickly faded when Markus cast an illusion on him.

 _(In the illusion)_

Dionysus gasped as he was brought onto Olympus. Normally, he would've been ecstatic at being here, since he was rarely allowed up here. However, this was different.

The eternal palace was in ruins. Temples were destroyed, the floor cracked and turned to rubble. Statues of the Olympians were razed. He almost cried out in shock and horror at the scene that he was looking at.

Then his surroundings blurred. He was now brought to the central palace. Thrones belonging to each Olympian were crushed and destroyed, barely looking recognisable. Dionysus just now noticed that the sky was blood red.

"W-What is this?" he asked, laziness no longer in his eyes, but fear and panic. He whirled around, looking at Olympus in horror. The hearth, the gods, the thrones, the constellations, all gone! "Where am I?"

"My personal domain," a familiar voice said behind him. He whirled to see Markus, sitting on what used to be his throne. Now, it was a chair of gold. It represented royalty. In the demigod's hand was a goblet of red wine. He sipped his drink, sighing content at the flavour. Dionysus snarled. Not only was he sitting in what used to be his throne, but he was also enjoying the one thing that he couldn't enjoy!

"You miserable little bastard!" the god growled out. "I'll make sure that you're tortured for this! You'll be sent to Tartarus, never to see the light of day again-" He was interrupted by gold chains appearing out of nowhere, trapping him and bringing him to his knees. "Wh-What is this?!" he bellowed out, struggling to free himself.

"You are in no position to be making demands with me," Markus said calmly after a sip of wine. "This," he gestured to everything, "is Olympus' ruin. And it is all your fault."

"M-My fault!" Dionysus gasped out, stopping his movements. "How is this-"

"Simple. Because you made me mad." Suddenly, behind Markus' throne, a large shadowy figure emerged. The god shivered as he beheld the creature. The bloodlust was impossible to withstand.

What emerged was Markus' Twelve-Headed Dragon Construct, only not made out of water but solid flesh. In each mouth, ichor stained its teeth and jaws. In between its fangs in eleven of its heads were the remaining Olympians, though their figures were now just crushed corpses. Most of their heads - that were intact - stared down at Dionysus emptily, judging him, blaming him.

"No!" he shouted out, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I-I couldn't have done this! This is impossible!"

"Oh, but it's very much real," Markus smirked, his head held by his fist. His sea-green eyes glinted, the same thing reflected in the beast's eyes. "Your fellow gods have fallen by my hand. Olympus is now nothing but a memory, along with you useless fossils. And you're next."

"No! Please, no! No, no, no, NO!" Dionysus shook, the illusion getting to his surprised mind. The scenes were too much for him to take. "I beg you please! Don't do this!" The chains rattled in response to his useless movements.

"Too late for regrets," Markus sneered. He inspected his goblet, seeing his reflection in the wine. And then he threw it at the god's face, smacking against his face and spilling the contents on his face. Despite his terror, his tongue lapped up the remains of the liquid wine on his face. The taste made him break down in tears, sobbing.

"At least you'll be able to taste what you've wanted before you die." The demigod grinned sadistically. "A last act of mercy. Don't worry, it won't be the last thing you feel." Markus' eyes flashed red. "That's his job." He pointed towards the beast behind him.

"NOOO!" the god screamed out as the one head the didn't contain a dead Olympian opened its maw and bit down where he stood. And all he knew was pain.

 _(Out of the illusion)_

Markus' eyes gleamed with sadistic glee as Mr. D broke down into tears, curling into a ball and whimpered, muttering, "No, it can't be real" "I'm sorry, make it stop, please". He even cried out in pain, as if he was feeling the pain from the illusion in real life.

Everyone watching looked with wide eyes as Markus reduced the god of madness to tears. It wasn't even a few seconds where Markus placed his hand on his shoulder, and then this happened.

"M-Markus, what h-happened?" Chiron asked in shock, looking at what the demigod did.

Markus shrugged, still smiling sadistically. "Oh, I'm just giving poor Dionysus a taste of his own medicine. Well, at full maximum. Hopefully, when he snaps out of it, he'll learn his lesson. Now!" Markus clapped his hands, catching the attention of everyone. "Let's be off. Got a lot of people to meet. I'll give you details of the mission later, Chiron. Ta-ta!" He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the others and dragging them out of the Big House.

Chiron ignored them for a moment, stepping forward and trying to tend to the whimpering god. But all it did was make him burst into even more tears.

Markus kept dragging the group outside until Annabeth wriggled her way out of his grip. "Stop, just stop for a minute!" she exclaimed, catching Markus' attention.

"Okay." He did stop, letting go of the others. "You have my attention. What's up?"

"What did you do to Mr. D?" she asked, straight to the point. "One minute, he's furious, ready to blast you into oblivion, and the next he's sobbing like a baby. What did you do?"

"Like I said, I gave him a taste of his own medicine," Markus shrugged nonchalantly. "He tried to enter my mind, so I did the reverse on him."

"But how? How did you stop him from messing with your mind? He's the god of madness?" Percy, Thalia and Grover nodded, wanting to know what he did.

"Simple. I didn't want him to enter my mind," he answered, grinning. They almost face-faulted at his answer.

"Th-That doesn't work!" Annabeth retorted. "You can't just not want a god to enter your mind! It's impossible."

"... Annie," Markus said, amused. "I deal with the impossible. We all do."

"That still doesn't make sense," Thalia said, eyes narrowed. "What aren't you telling us, Barnacle Brain? And don't dance around the question."

"I'm not, princess," Markus said. "I was able to block him from entering my mind, and did the same with him. Then I made him see... something."

"And what is that something?" Thalia asked with crossed arms.

Markus grinned, and the others weren't sure they wanted to know what Mr. D saw. "Something that'll fuck with his head," he said simply. "Now, don't worry your pretty little head about it. I'm back at camp, you're back at camp, everyone's happy. Now if you'll excuse me..." Suddenly, Markus disappeared in speed, heading towards somewhere.

"I'm really starting to hate that," Percy said, a little jealous at his brother's disappearing act. But mostly annoyed. The others nodded in agreement.

Markus stepped in front of the Demeter cabin, wanting to meet a certain someone. He really wanted to go the the Aphrodite cabin first and meet Silena, but if he did, he would be all over her and have no time to meet the others. So he decided to meet Katie first.

He knocked the door, waiting for it to be opened. When it did open, Markus had to catch a punch that was being aimed his way. He then blocked a kick, followed by an elbow that would've hit his throat. When he looked at the face of who it was, Markus' breath got caught in his throat.

It was definitely Katie, but she looked different. Her brown hair had grown longer than what Markus was used to, reaching her lower back. Her face had gotten leaner, losing some baby fat that she had, along with more angular. She was wearing her Camp Half-Blood shirt along with some dirty jeans. Her very developed figure strained against her shirt, making it tight on her. Her chest swelled, making Markus' jaw almost drop. Her stomach was flat and muscled, showcasing a six-pack that was visible through her shirt. Her arms had gotten more muscled. And despite wearing jeans, her wide hips and long legs were still showcased. **(A.N. - Look up Poison Ivy, and she looks like that. Only younger, and has brown hair and eyes)**.

Markus was so thankful that he'd learned to curb his large libido during his training. She looked beautiful. Before, she was cute but had her moments of beauty. Now, she looked like she could give some daughters of Aphrodite a run for their money. Hot damn!

Markus grinned sheepishly. "Hey, Katie..." He was unprepared for the knee to the groin that she delivered. Markus almost dropped to the floor in sheer pain as he cupped his dick and balls that screamed. He squeaked - an actual squeak, despite his deep voice - and stumbled.

Katie narrowed her beautiful eyes. "'Hey Katie?' Is that all that you can say after you left suddenly for two months?"

"I'm pretty sure that he can't say anything after you did that to him," her sister, Miranda, said behind her with a smirk. Her smirk faltered when Katie glared daggers at her. "Right. You're angry. I get that. Hi Markus. You look hot."

"Hey, Miranda. How have you been?" Markus asked, managing to be somewhat coherent to speak. He summoned water from the air that splashed on him, healing him of his fatal injury. "Damn, woman. You can kick hard. I think something popped."

"Don't tempt me to kick you again," Katie threatened, crossing her arms. "I'm still angry at you."

"I know," Markus nodded, surprising her. "I know that what I did was a dick move, and that I should've at least told you that I was leaving. The reason that I left was to go on a sort of self-discovery trip. I know that doesn't excuse me leaving. I'm sorry. Truthfully. Your one of my best friends and your precious to me. You had a right to know where I was and what I was doing."

"Both daughters of Demeter stared at him after he'd finished speaking. "Damn," Miranda said after a moment. "That was deep. Hey, you sure that you're still interested in my sister? I don't need an Oracle, but I can definitely see you and me-"

"Goodbye, Miranda," Katie interrupted, annoyed. She pushed her sister into the Demeter cabin and shut the door. Then she looked at Markus. "I'm still mad at you."

"I know," Markus nodded, completely serious.

She sighed. "But at least you're honest. You're lucky I missed you so much, or I'd offer you up to a Venus flytrap."

"I understa- wait, what?" Markus asked, but Katie stepped forward and hugged him. Markus decided to ignore the statement and hugged her back. He really did miss her. She changed so much. Not just in appearance, but in attitude as well. Katie was always confident, but at some points shy and a little insecure. Now she was simply brimming with confidence. It made Markus proud.

His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed the contact between them. Despite keeping a firm hold on his libido, he still blushed. He could feel her big boobs pressed against his chest. Why did all the girls he'd met change so much since he was gone?

"Guess Miranda was right," Katie said after a moment, moving back from him. She looked him up and down with lust. "You are hot."

"Oh? And I wasn't before?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You were cute then, but now you're sexy," she responded bluntly, making Markus almost wide-eyed in shock. She really was more confident in herself. "Anything to say to me?"

"You are hot," he answered bluntly as well. Well, if she could do it, why couldn't he? "I'm not saying you weren't attractive before, but now... you look like a daughter of Aphrodite."

Instead of blushing, she grinned. Her hand reached upwards and caressed his cheek, making him shudder slightly at the contact. "Good. I'm glad to see that you finally notice me as a woman." At his shocked face, she giggled. "And speaking of daughters of Aphrodite..." Katie leaned forward, her hot breath on his lips. "... I know about you and Silena."

Instead of acting surprised, Markus raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what do plan to do about it?" he whispered, leaning close. The two demigods were so close that their noses were touching and lips almost an inch away from each other.

"Well, my dear son of Poseidon," she whispered, leaning forward, towards his ear rather than his face. "I plan to make you mine. And don't worry about Silena. We both had an... interesting discussion with each other. And she convinced me of something. We. Decided. To. Share. You." Removing herself from his ear, the daughter of Demeter winked at the shell-shocked Markus. Passing by him, she walked away from him and her cabin, swaying her hips purposefully along the way.

Markus really hated to see her go away but really _really_ loved seeing her leave. He went into a trance as he gazed at her large and firm ass swaying slightly. He pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

Feeling very happy that two hot and sexy girls were willing to share him, Markus made a small prayer. "Aphrodite, if you're hearing this, thank you. Very much. You have the best daughter ever." Deciding to walk away, Markus had a spring in his step as he walked towards a certain destination.

 **XXX**

Markus pushed Silena against the wall of the Aphrodite cabin, sucking on her tongue. Silena's hands roamed across his muscled body and Markus' went in a rhythmic order: from her breasts, to her hips, then to her ass.

After his encounter with Katie - and using very cold water to douse himself - he made his way to the Aphrodite cabin to meet his girlfriend. Mainly to greet her, and also to thank her. As Markus didn't know a girlfriend that was willing to share with other girls.

Both of them separated due to the need of air. Immediately, Markus attacked her neck, licking and sucking on one particular spot that made Silena moan constantly. To make her really excited, Markus vibrated his tongue as it danced across her neck, making Silena almost scream in pleasure. He kept this up for a good couple of minutes (in which Silena thought that she was going to die from pleasure) before Markus removed himself from her neck. In a flash, Markus removed her shirt and gazed with longing at the bra-clad breasts that looked like... "Are you wearing lingerie?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes," Silena smirked, knowing how much he loved it. "It's a special surprise. But first." Silena pushed him down onto her bed, looking at him with bedroom eyes. "My turn to pleasure you," she whispered, making Markus very excited.

She stalked towards him slowly, still wearing her jeans that clung to her legs like a second skin. As she got to a certain distance near her bed, she stopped. Then she slowly went to remove her jeans. She turned around, slowly peeling off her jeans while moving her body to music that wasn't there. She bent down, her ass flaring as her underwear was slowly, almost agonisingly, being revealed.

Markus watched with rapt attention as his dick stood to attention like a proud soldier. Despite wanting to do nothing but remove the clothing himself, it was more fun and sexy when she did it.

Then she stood up, turning to look down into Markus' eyes. She stood at the edge of the bed, and started to move her body above Markus' crotch, essentially giving him a lap dance. Whenever her ass touched his dick, he moaned. Silena was doing a really good job at this.

As she kept on dancing, she smirked down at him, making sure that her movements were sometimes slow and sensual, or fast and rhythmic. Then she sat on his lap. The daughter of Aphrodite's hands crept up to his stomach, rubbing his chiselled abs. Her hands kept rubbing them for a moment, taking in the hardness and muscle tone.

"So you love my abs, eh?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking.

"Yes, I do," Silena responded, still rubbing his abs. She wiggled her ass on his lap, exciting him even further. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. Just feeling a sense of pride."

"Well, I'll be sure to stroke your ego even more..." Her hands moved under his shirt, taking in every inch of his very muscled body.

However, before she could explore any further, she was interrupted by the sound of the conch horn.

"Something's up," Silena said in alarm, standing up from Markus' lap.

"Noooo," he whined. "It's probably nothing. Come back, please!"

"Chiron wouldn't sound it unless it's important. We already had dinner, so come on." She started getting dressed into her previous attire.

Markus growled. "If there's nobody attacking, I'm going to kill Chiron."

"It's okay," Silena said. She leaned forward. "If you be a good boy, I'll reward you later. So come with me to see what's going on and maybe I'll-" She couldn't finish as Markus was already up and carrying her out of her cabin. She laughed as he did this.

All the campers gathered from their cabins to meet Chiron, who was looking at a golden school bus. The surprising thing about it was that it was glowing with the same light that the Apollo cabin did during the day.

The door to the school bus opened, and out came a group that almost no camper was happy to see.

"Damn Hunters," both Markus and Silena muttered at the same time. The two blinked, looking at each other.

"I met them when I was doing an assignment and had a little... argument with them," Markus said. "You?"

"They came to camp some time ago. I don't like them. At all." Was all Silena said as she glared at the group of immortal Hunters.

The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and for a second, Markus tensed. The guy looked a lot like Luke. But then he relaxed. This guy had the same sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. But it wasn't Luke. This guy was taller, with no scar on his face like Luke's. His smile was brighter and more playful. (Luke didn't do much more than scowl and sneer these days.) The driver wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.

From the golden glow, Markus guessed that it was Apollo.

"So that's Apollo," Silena muttered, having come to the same solution as Markus. She hummed. "He's hot."

Markus' eyebrow twitched. "Why is _that_ an important question?"

Silena shrugged. "I'm just saying. But don't worry, sweetie. You're hotter."

"Damn right," Markus muttered as Silena patted him on the back to make him feel better.

"Lord Apollo," Chiron stepped forward, bowing. "It is an honour to see you. As well as the Hunters of Artemis." Here, Chiron gave them a tight smile, and he received some glares in return. Only the one with the silver circlet seemed to nod to him.

Apollo chuckled. "Chiron, there's no need for formalities. You of all people don't need to call me lord. And I'm just transporting these sweethearts for my lil' sis." At the mention of Artemis, Apollo's smile faded. "By the way Chiron. I need to ask you something: bring Markus Henderson. Zeus wants him brought to Olympus."

Chiron blinked. "May I ask why?"

Apollo almost snarled in anger. "If you must know, he's the one responsible for my lil' sis not being here for the moment. And he attacked her for no apparent reason."

Chiron was about to argue to that, but was interrupted by Markus appearing out of thin air beside the centaur. Chiron looked shocked while Apollo's anger showed again on his face, his figure glowing brightly.

The other campers behind whispered as Markus appeared. They hadn't seem him at all for the last two months. Some - namely those who resided in the Hestia cabin - looked at him in awe and hero-worship. A large number of the girls blushed as - to them - he'd gotten even more handsome. Seeing this, many of the guys glared daggers at him. Seriously, how the hell did he turn into an Adonis?

Meanwhile, Silena, Katie, Beckendorf, Percy, Thalia, Annabeth and Grover face-palmed. They knew that this wasn't going to end well.

Seeing the one who defeated their mistress, the Hunters glared at Markus and even readied their bows. This was stopped by Markus merely looking at them, his eyes turning red. His bloodlust was activated, making them stumble and drop their bows in fright as he glared at them. Then he slowly turned his gaze to Apollo's glowing one.

"I'm here," he said simply. "What do you want?"

Apollo narrowed his eyes and snarled, as if he wanted to incinerate him on the spot. "Zeus demands your presence on Olympus."

"For what?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For attacking an Olympian goddess."

"You said that I attacked Artemis for no apparent reason," Markus said calmly. The gasps and whispers from behind showed that the demigods didn't know of that fact. "And that I defeated her. Where did you get this information from?"

"It doesn't matter," Apollo said through gritted teeth.

"So it was from her bitches, then?" Markus turned to look at the furious faces of the Hunters. "Tell him the truth. Tell him that Artemis attacked me first and that I defended myself. Her defeat was on her head. Or did the broken image of your goddess not register in your minds?!"

At this, the whispers had gotten louder. Some doubted Markus' claim of defeating Artemis, calling him a liar and an attention-seeker. Others looked at the scene in curiosity.

Apollo turned to look at the Hunters. "Is this true?" Apollo asked silently. At their stony faces, he snarled. "I asked you a question, Hunters. Is this _true_?"

"Yes," the leader bit out harshly.

Apollo glared at all of them, breathing in deeply to control his growing rage. "You are lucky that my sister cares for you so deeply," he said quietly. "Otherwise I would incinerate you all for daring to lie to me. I knew that you were withholding something, but with Artemis in critical danger, I didn't think too much on it."

The Hunters of Artemis looked shocked at what Apollo had said, and even a little fearful. They were used to the playful, flirtatious Apollo. They had just realised just who he was.

Apollo then looked at Markus. "Regardless of the situation, Zeus still demands that you appear on Olympus."

"Let me guess: he's going to smite me for daring to hurt his precious daughter." At the boom of thunder in the sky, Markus had received his answer. "Then fuck no. I refuse. I'm going to be killed for defending myself? God of justice my ass."

"You don't have a choice in the matter, mortal," Apollo growled. "You _will_ appear on Olympus. Even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming."

Markus glared at him, anger bubbling in him. If Zeus wanted to play this game, then he'd play. "If Zeus is so offended, let him come down hear and say it to my face. Otherwise he doesn't _really_ think of Artemis as a daughter and more of my attack as a slight to Olympus." At the massive boom of thunder and lightning flashing, Markus smirked. He looked at the sky. "Well? Come on. Prove me wrong. You ain't changing my mind."

Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy. The campers looked worried at the stunt.

"You are just digging your own grave." Apollo's snarl was now guttural. Everyone had to look away as he was glowing with sunlight.

"Look, Apollo. Don't do this. I understand why you're angry. You are one of the gods that I have no problem with, and don't mind. So please. Don't do this. You know why I did what I did. So please, don't do this." Markus was actually reluctant to fight Apollo. Not because he feared him, but because he had done no wrong to him personally. He even understood why he was angry.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Even though I know that it's not your fault, Zeus has ordered me to retrieve you," Apollo said, a little reluctant. He was still angry that someone dared to harm his lil' sis and even caused her to cry, but he still didn't want to do this.

Markus sighed. "Then I guess that I have no choice." Suddenly, he chanted, "Enkidu: Ten no Kusari." Out of some gold portals, his Chains of Enkidu appeared out and, like a viper, wrapped around the sun god and bound him, similar to how it did for Dionysus in his illusion world. These were different than his usual Mistform chains. Instead of being made of Mist, they were solid gold, with runes written in different languages. Several of the words were 'Absorb', 'Drain,' etc. During his training, Markus had crafted his chains out of his magic and divine energy. So he could now bound gods if he so wished, the same ones from the anime.

"Wha-!" Apollo exclaimed, struggling to remove himself from the chains, but it became harder to do so the more he struggled. The whispers from the campers now became shouts. Children of Apollo were screaming at Markus to release their father, but Markus ignored them. The others were shocked that he was able to bound a god.

"Quiet!" Chiron yelled, stomping his one of his hooves loudly to gain the attention of the campers. They managed to quiet down, but there were still murmurs.

"Release me, mortal!" Apollo yelled out, struggling. The chains tightened in response to his struggles. He gritted his teeth, snarling. "How dare you do this to me?!"

"I did it because I do not wish to fight you," Markus said, glaring. "As I said, Apollo. I have no problem with you and I understand why you're angry. But I refuse to listen to Zeus. I'm not going to Olympus. So you can either swear on the Styx not to abduct me, or this is going to be ugly. Decide."

Apollo continued struggling, but he couldn't break the chains. They were sapping his strength. He still mustered the strength to glare, though. "I will make you pay for this. I-"

"If you decide to curse me, I'll just make you struggle more." Markus was all out of mercy at this point. If he wasn't going to listen, then he would force the god to submit. "Swear on the Styx, or I'll leave you powerless. Decide!"

"Never!" The chains glowed, making Apollo scream slightly as he was being weakened. He was forced to kneel, his fiery glow slightly diminishing. He kept on struggling, but it was pointless. The campers started shouting, telling him to stop, but Markus wasn't listening to them.

The son of Poseidon glared as he kept binding the god that was now powerless. The lack of power showed. He still kept his handsome physique, but his body seemed less powerful. More... mortal.

"Swear. On. The. Styx," Markus repeated slowly.

"Fine!" Apollo bit out. "I swear on the Styx that I won't abduct you and take you to Olympus!"

The sky boomed with thunder, signifying the oath.

"Good," Markus nodded. "Now, leave." Markus recalled the chains back, letting them vanish in the golden space/time portal.

Apollo glared at the demigod. "Know this. Zeus will be furious and will call for your head for this insult."

"Noted," Markus sneered. "Now, scurry along like a rat to daddy. Or do you want to be bound again?"

Sending one last final burning glare to him, Apollo mustered enough power to teleport, making the crowd close their eyes. When they looked back, Apollo was gone, along with his chariot.

"Now..." Markus started removing his jacket, getting bewildered looks from those watching. He removed enough of his jacket to allow his left arm to be visible, causing the females watching to watch his toned and muscled arm exposed. And then he blurred, grabbing the second-in-command of the Hunters by the neck with his Devil Bringer, the arm shifting mid-movement.

Alarmed, the Hunters tried to raise their weapons, but stopped as Markus halted their movement with blood control. His bloodlust returned with a vengeance, scaring the campers and Hunters as his now red eyes bore into the frightened one's of the lieutenant. "... **What to do with you**?"

The girl struggled as his demonic arm choked her. She kicked at his chest, but it was futile. Markus merely applied a little strength to the arm, and the girl's eyes bulged.

"Release her, filthy monster!" a tank-like Hunter screamed, struggling to move. Markus merely turned a lazy eye towards her.

" **Monster**?" Markus smiled coldly. He casted a wide-spread illusion that caused a silhouette to appear behind him. Instead of his Twelve-Headed Dragon Construct, a spectral demonic warrior in purple armour appeared. The figure had a black demonic Oni mask on its face, and was grinning widely. The aura that it was releasing, along with the bloodlust Markus was releasing, made some of the campers pass out in fear. The rest watched in fear and horror as Markus was grinning in the same manner as the specter **(A.N. - Nero's Devil Trigger avatar from DMC4, only purple, an Oni mask and doesn't have a sword).** " **No, girl. I'm a demon."**

The poor girl in Markus' grasp shook slightly, the figure turning its eyes on her. Tears started falling from her eyes due to fear. She struggled, but Markus kept choking her, making choking noises come from her mouth.

" **I think it's about time that I taught you bitches humility. And what better way to do that than to show you what you are. Now**..." Markus commanded them via blood control to grasp their silver knives that they had on them. Their figures shook, but ultimately obeyed his command. He excluded the girl that he saved, but he still froze her movements. "... **write**."

Tears fell from their eyes as their knives were forced to pierce the skin on their forearms, done by their hands. They started carving into their fleshes. First a crude B, then an I, followed by a T...

"Sto- urk!" the girl in his grip tried to scream out, but was still choked. Markus' red eyes looked at her.

" **I didn't say that you can talk** ," Markus snarled at her. " **This is your fault! I warned you not to bother me, and yet you lied to Apollo about your bitch of a mistress, hoping that he would drag me to Olympus and hoped that Zeus would kill me! All because Artemis attacked me first and payed the price for her actions. No, I'm done with you! You _will_ suffer and watch as your cheerleaders brand themselves and show everyone what they really are!"**

The demonic words from Markus almost made the girl catatonic. Then he turned his eyes, still controlling the girls to write on their forearms. With tears in their eyes, the Hunters of Artemis could do nothing but display the new tattoos on their forearms. The word BITCH was carved onto their forearms using their knives.

Markus smiled. " **And just to make sure**..." Markus casted a weak but widespread heat spell that cauterized the wounds. The girls cried as the words were branded on their arms, the process entirely painful.

Markus chuckled, then he laughed. " **At least everyone can see what you are. And dry your tears, you can take 'pride' in your new tattoos**. **Now, I believe that I have unfinished business with you...,** " Glaring at the girl in his grasp, he let go of her throat, making her fall. Instead of hitting the ground, however, she was caught by Markus' normal hand.

His Devil Bringer hand ignited with black flames. The Hunters, campers and Chiron shivered at the demonic aura that the flames brought. They definitely weren't normal.

"I think that's enough, Markus," Chiron warned as he stepped forward. Markus glared at the centaur.

" **No, Chiron**. **She deserves this. She tried to kill me!** "

"That does not justify your actions," Chiron said, frowning heavily. "You already did enough with the Hunters of Artemis. Will doing this really make you any better?"

" **Do you think I care about guilt? About morals? News flash, I don't.** "

"And what about your friends?" That stopped Markus cold. "Your fellow campers? Look at them, Markus."

Not taking his view away from the girl in his grip, Markus looked behind him slightly. And he could see it. The fear on everyone's eyes. In the younger campers, in his friends, in... Markus almost recoiled at the horror-filled gazes that Silena and Katie were giving him.

"These campers, they think of you as a hero," Chiron kept at it. "You gave them hope when they didn't have it. You gave them strength when they needed it. Please, for them and yourself, don't do this."

Markus didn't move for a moment, contemplating his actions. The demonic energy he was using was bringing his more primal instincts, like anger. The anger was all his, the energy was just bringing it out even more. He wanted to kill the Hunters of Artemis, to punish them, but... he didn't want the campers watching. They were afraid. Of him.

Markus snarled as he let go of the girl, who sat on her ass breathing heavily and shaking slightly. " **Get out of my sight,** " Markus whispered to her angrily.

She didn't need to be told twice. She scrambled towards the other Hunters, who were released from his control and were now crying slightly at the pain. Some glared, but their hearts weren't into it.

Markus gave them one last warning. " **That's strike two. One more time, just once... and I'll butcher all of you.** " With his piece said, Markus dismissed his Devil Bringer and spectral figure. He walked back to the campers, readjusting his shirt. As he walked through the parting crowd of campers, he could feel the lingering looks of fear they gave him.

 **XXX**

As Markus was in his cabin sleeping, he was - as usual - brought to a dreamscape where someone wanted to talk/screw with him. Because typical demigod uniqueness.

In his dream, he was standing on a stone cliff face, looking down at a supposed bottomless pit. He knew where this place was. He was brought to the very same place in his dream two years ago. And spoke to the being who resided in the pit.

Markus breathed out sharply through his nose in frustration. "What do you want Kronos?"

A deep chuckle reverberated across the chasm. " _Why, grandson. I thought that you would be so happy to see me_?" the Titan king spoke, his usual voice sounding like knives scraping across his back. Markus wasn't affected by Kronos' voice or presence. He refused to show any weakness. "I'm not. I'm supposed to be sleeping. In my bed. Thinking happy thoughts. Instead, I'm visited by my dismembered and chopped-up grandpa who can't take a hint and leave me the fuck alone."

Kronos' laughter once again echoed across the chasm. Markus just stared down at the pit, not amused.

"That's _one reason I like you so much, grandson,_ " Kronos chuckled. " _You are fearless. You show no fear or hesitation. Not to me or to the Olympians. Is it that you do not fear death_?"

"No," Markus said. "I just refuse to show either respect or fear to those who annoy me. I'll ask again. What do you want?"

Kronos chuckled again. " _I know how powerful you are, grandson. The Shinto and Hindu gods did good work training you, molding you into their little pawn_."

"How do you know about that?" Markus asked, eyes narrowed.

" _I have my sources. It makes sense. How you grew so powerful so quickly. How you have skills no normal child of my son possess._ "

"What's your point?" Markus shrugged. "I did what I had to do to stand where I am now."

" _Power is the one thing that matters, right_?" Kronos asked knowingly. He chuckled again. " _My, I can see the family resemblance between us. You're probably the only one that understands what needs to be done to stand at the top_."

"And look at where it got you," Markus scoffed, making the Titan growl. "I know that I want power, but I would never sacrifice those I love for that cause. I'm not like you and you're not going to change me. Is that all?"

" _Are you honestly not interested in joining me_?" Kronos asked bluntly. Markus raised an eyebrow at his approach. Usually, Kronos would weave words and offer sweet lies to convince him. This was direct. " _You are practically a god compared to your fellow demigods. The Olympians fear and threaten you. They would like nothing more than to destroy you_?" Ah, there was the manipulation. " _The demigods have seen only a fraction of your true power, and they are afraid. Not for you, but for themselves. They envy you, loath you, want not you but your own power for themselves. They fear that you will turn on them for no reason._ "

Kronos' words turned seductive. " _Join me, Markus. You will be at the pinnacle of power and command under me. You can have more power, your enemies will be crushed and destroyed, and you could have anything you ever wanted. Be it fame. Wealth. Love. Women."_

Am image started forming in the pit. In it, Markus sat on Zeus' throne in Olympus, with the other thrones no where to be found. Image-Markus wore gold and silver armour of the finest quality. Rubies and emeralds and gems glittered across it. A red cape made of the softest silk trailed from the back of it. He still had the same features as Markus did, but his image-self had an arrogant smirk on his face.

At the floor of his throne lay three familiar weapons: the master bolt, the helm of darkness and his father's trident. Kneeling before him were several people. Dozens of nymphs and naiads offered him food, wearing the skimpiest of clothing. They had looks of adoration on their faces as the looked at their king and ruler. Other girls knelt and stood at his side. Markus could see all of his female friends, Katie, Silena, Annabeth, Thalia, Lou Ellen and other girls, kissing and caressing him. At his knees stood several of the gods he'd met, wearing rags and chains. They looked docile and pathetic, like slaves.

The females undressed themselves, making real-Markus blush massively, showcasing their voluptuous bodies to him. Bare breasts, long legs, beautiful asses... Markus was actually jealous of image him. He burned with even more jealousy when he saw image him taking them for himself. Forget the riches and slaves, he was more envious of him for the girls.

" _All of this could be yours,_ " Kronos whispered. " _A reality. Join me, grandson, and no one will be able to touch you. You could be a king, an emperor, a god._ "

A part of him, a large part of him, was actually tempted by his grandfather's words. He was really thankful that he had enough willpower and mental strength to resist.

"Enough." Markus' power flared, shattering the image like glass. His mental barriers started to destroy the dream around him. "I'm thankful for the beautiful dream, grandpa. Really, I am. But like I was once told: the sea does not like to be restrained. I refuse to bow to you or serve you. Now I kindly ask you to get the fuck out of my head."

Kronos roared in fury. " _You dare_?! _You will pay for this, boy! When I rise, I will personally send you to Tartarus-_!"

"That threat is honestly getting old," Markus muttered, before the dream faded, along with the wail of the Titan king.

Just as Markus was about to force himself awake, he entered another dream. He was standing in an expanse of grey. His eyes twitched. "I'm seriously getting pissed."

"Well, it's good to see you too, Markus Henderson," a familiar voice said behind him. Markus whirled to see Savitr, his blond hair, broad shoulders and massive arms identifying him for Markus. The god of motion was now wearing a majestic cloak that was made out of white material.

Markus was slightly shocked. He hadn't seen Savitr since he met the god at Spellhaven. He tilted his head in greeting. "Savitr. What are you doing here?"

"I'd hope that we'd meet under normal circumstances, but we need to talk." Savitr's expression turned from warm to serious.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "Before, you were gruff but casual. Now, you're friendly but stern. Is this how you usually are or..."

"This is how I usually am," Savitr said. "But we can discuss my mannerisms later. I have a gift for you." Holding out his hand, a staff appeared in the god's hand. No, not a staff. A shakujo, a prayer staff. It had twelve rings on the head of the staff. Markus had read up on Hindu mythology. He knew that the shakujo was primarily used in prayer, but could sometimes be used as a weapon as well. Also, the twelve rings were a sort of testament to show a sort of creed or following in Hinduism. Four rings represented the Four Noble Truths, six rings represented the Six Perfections, and twelve rings represented the twelvefold chain of cause and effect.

"Take it, Markus Henderson. As a sort of prize for yourself," Savitr said.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "And why are you giving it to me? I'm not complaining, just asking."

Savitr smiled. "Because you have impressed me. You have used my blessings in ways that I never thought possible. Self-duplication, vibration of your molecules, forming energy... quite frankly, I'm a little jealous that I haven't thought about it."

"Thanks for the praise," Markus said. "But I don't believe that's the reason why you came to speak to me via my dreams."

"Good, you actually got smarter," Savitr smirked. "The reason I am giving you this is because with this - along with the teachings that I have implanted into it - is because you need to prepare yourself. You have gotten more powerful. Dare I say it, you might be the strongest demigod I have ever seen, both in my pantheon and in others. But the forces that you will face in the future are even more powerful."

"I have a feeling that you aren't talking about the Titans," Markus spoke with suspicious. "Can you give me a hint as to what I'm going to face in the future?"

"I can't." Before Markus could blow up, Savitr continued. "Not because I don't want to, but because gods interfering too much into other pantheons can breed disaster. Plus, my prediction may not be accurate. You may win the war with the Titans, or you may lose. I do not know for sure."

"You're not filling me with confidence," Markus said, angry.

"I know," Savitr nodded solemnly. "Which is why I must prepare you for the task ahead. Don't want my investment to be put to waste." Extending his hand, he held out the shakujo. "Take it, Markus Henderson. As my gift towards you."

Looking into his eyes and finding no deceit, Markus slowly reached forward and gripped the shakujo. And he was suddenly filled with knowledge that he hadn't had before. Images, words, techniques filled his heads at such speed that he could only recall a couple of them at a time.

"Good luck, Markus Henderson." The expanse that he was standing in started to crumble. He was starting to wake up. The last thing he saw was Savitr's smiling face.

 **XXX**

Markus was playing Halo 3 on his Xbox 360, with his speed clones operating in his cabin. One was doing some potion work, another was focusing on genetics and another was deciphering and writing down notes that he collected from Savitr's shakujo that he gave him. Using his mental prowess, he deciphered most of the information downloaded into his brain and was able to put it down on paper.

Now he was relaxing in his cabin, enjoying his free time. Playing video games were pretty much the only interesting thing that he could do. Training was mostly done by reading, since he still wore his gravity and resistance seals for physical training. And the others weren't exactly being welcoming.

Ever since his encounter with the Hunters of Artemis, the campers gave him a wide berth. This was done largely due to fear. Some had admitted that while his dressing down of the Hunters was awesome (though a little extreme) it was still scary for some of them. Many of the campers were worried of making him mad, otherwise he would whip out his freaky arm and kill them.

Markus wasn't really bothered by this. All he cared about were the reactions of his close friends. With Percy, he still stood by his side, though he was a little cautious around him. He didn't treat him any differently, though, to which he was happy about. Grover, however, steered clear of him completely. It wasn't that he hated Markus, it was just that the spectacle had caused Grover to pass out due to the unholy feeling. As a satyr, Grover could sense and read the emotions that Markus gave off at the time, and it was nauseating to him. He actually smelled like a demon, even though it was only brief. So whenever he was near Markus, the fear and trauma returned. Markus couldn't really blame Grover for that, to be fair.

Silena still acted the same, though she had the same fear that the other campers had. Even though she tried to hide it, Markus could still see it, though. She never judged him for what he did to the Hunters, to which he was grateful. Katie was the same, even though she admitted that what he did was cruel and scary. She didn't judge him for it, though, to which he was grateful. She started talking with him, catching up on old times. She didn't make mention of what she talked about before, though she did make it a habit of sitting very closely to him and gave him very suggestive gestures. In which he responded in kind.

Thalia admitted that while she was scared of what he did, but didn't tell him off for what he did. She admitted that - though cruel - he humiliated the Hunters excellently. Markus knew that it was mainly Thalia's grudge against the Hunters that made her more supportive of his actions.

The only one who really had a problem with it was Annabeth. She screamed at him, telling him that what he did was wrong and evil, and that he had gone way too far. Markus responded that what he did was tame and that the Hunters deserved it. She looked shocked at what he said, and kept on arguing with him about how he went about it. The two have been arguing a lot, and only through the intervention of others did they not resolve to full-blown shouting matches.

At least Markus' actions had a positive aspect. The Hunters of Artemis were now humiliated and somewhat docile in their actions. Everywhere they went, many vindictive campers mocked and taunted them of being bitches, which was what they were. And so they responded in kind. Even though the kicked the camper's ass (it was always a male camper), they were still mocked and taunted behind their backs. They were treated less like the Hunters of Artemis and more like a joke. The funny thing was that whenever he saw them bullying a camper, Markus made it a show of clearing his throat and announcing his presence. Their reaction to his arrival was amusing. They backed away in fear and clutched their branded forearms. One even burst into tears.

The second-in-command, who Markus now knew was a girl called Zoe Nightshade, stayed clear of him. Even if she tried glaring at him, the lingering fear caused her to back off. This became clear when she got into an argument with Silena, who both hated each other. Silena due to the Hunters rejecting love and calling it worthless, and Zoe due to Aphrodite representing the things she hated.

As a good and caring boyfriend, Markus had to intervene. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in Silena to handle herself. It was an automatic response. Markus appeared on the scene and stopped the fight. Then he looked at her. Not even a glare, just one look. And she shook slightly in fear due to the memory of what happened. And so she backed off immediately with no word. He got a very thankful gift for that.

Many of the campers - that weren't blinded by their fear - looked at him with awe. He had done what no man had ever done. He had made the Hunters of Artemis his bitches. The male campers instantly proclaimed them as their hero and god, something that immediately boosted his ego. He was going to go down in the history books.

Other campers were fearful, although for a different reason. They were scared of how the gods would act due to his actions against Apollo. Imprisoning a god was one thing. Defeating a goddess was another. But resisting Zeus' command? That was a very quick method to be smote. Some didn't know whether to applaud him or to be scared for him. Even Chiron was nervous, as he kept looking towards the sky that had turned cloudy and stormy for a few days due to Zeus' mood.

Well, if Zeus didn't like it, tough shit. He refused to bow to anybody anymore. No more fear, no more being weak-willed. You earn his respect, or don't get any at all. And Zeus done nothing to earn his respect. He didn't care if he was acting foolish or arrogant. He was sick and tired of the Olympians and their arrogance. He even preferred hanging out with other gods from different pantheons than his own, which was ironic.

As Markus played in multiplayer, he grinned at all of his achievements. Since he was a serious gamer, Markus loved playing multiplayer in different games. His nickname was SeaHorse123. Not the most original, but whatever. In every game, he used the same gamer tag. And in every game, he crushed the competition. Call of Duty, Halo, BioShock, God of War II... he was simply the best. Sure, he lost a few times, but his losses were overshadowed by his victories.

He was currently shooting at one particular player that was surprisingly good, called SkylarkLover. Seems that he wasn't the only one with a crappy name. He was still playing when a knock sounded on the door. He ignored it for a couple of minutes, until the knock came again, louder this time. Markus growled. He was in the middle of multiplayer! How the hell did the person at the door expect him to pause while he... oh. Markus almost facepalmed.

He created another speed clone that took over for him while he went to the door. He didn't actually know who to expect at the door, so he was surprised when he saw someone that he could recognize. It was Hermes. He was wearing what Percy described him wearing last time: a New York-City Marathon T-shirt but with red sweat pants on this time. He was wearing Nike trainers with white wings on them and had his caduceus in his hand with the snakes wrapped around them.

"Hello, Markus Henderson," the god greeted, smiling apologetically. "I'm going to need you to come with me."

Markus just looked at the god, very tempted to slam the door in his face and go back to gaming. He sighed. "I take it that you were sent by Zeus?"

"Yes," Hermes agreed. "I'm sorry. I personally have no problem with you or what you did, but those are my orders."

Markus' brow was twitching in irritation. You'd think that Zeus would learn from experience but noooo. "Let me guess: because of how I bound Apollo, he sent you because you could just use your speed to avoid my chains. Am I right?"

Hermes chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, kind of. Please, don't make it harder for yourself. I personally like you, Markus. You're a good kid and you helped my kids a lot with the creation of the Hestia cabin. But I have to follow orders."

Markus honestly couldn't hate him. Despite his encounters with Luke, he didn't blame Hermes. Yeah, he could've treated Luke better when he was younger but it was his decision to join the Titans. Kronos was a manipulative bastard, sure, but still. Suddenly, an amazing and exciting idea popped into his head.

"Well, I _could_ go with you," Markus offered, grinning. "But you're going to have to catch me first."

Hermes chuckled. "Kid, you're fast, I can tell. But I'm known for my speed. There's no way that-" He was interrupted by Markus phasing through Hermes and using his super speed to run. The god blinked, and then grinned. "Oh, it is on." And so he disappeared in a blur of speed.

The two speedsters ran out of Camp Half-Blood without any disturbance. No sonic boom or anything. They were nothing but a blur, running through the streets of Manhattan. As Hermes ran, he skillfully and gracefully avoided any imcoming cars, cabs, people and hot dog stands. Markus just vibrated his body as he ran, phasing through everything.

Markus was slightly ahead, so Hermes easily caught up with him. Markus turned to look at the god as he ran. "You a fan of the Flash?" he asked casually, still running.

Hermes shrugged, not bothered with conversation while on the move. "Yeah, though I do love the Golden Age Flash."

"More of a Godspeed fan myself," Markus shrugged. He even made the Godspeed suit as he ran, the kinetic energy warping around his body and forming the full suit.

Hermes gawked, almost hitting an incoming car in shock. Both of them narrowly avoided any buildings by turning sharply or phasing. "That is so cool," he admitted. "How'd you do that?"

"Catch me and I'll tell you," Markus told him. And then he blitzed forward, creating a small boom.

Hermes grinned in challenge. "You don't know who you challenged, kid." He formed the iconic Golden Age Flash helmet and clothes, and ran forward, creating a sonic boom.

The two ran out of Manhattan, running across the East River and still running. Hermes was easily gaining onto Markus. So Markus applied way more kinetic energy than normal. They were moving past supersonic speeds, roughly 768 mph. Despite the joy the two were feeling at finding someone who could match their speeds, they remembered that Hermes was trying to catch them.

So Hermes moved instantly, as if he teleported. He was closing in on Markus, just inches away. Just as he was about to touch him, Markus suddenly stopped for a fraction of a second, then zipped behind Hermes. In the space where he was previously was an after-image of himself.

Hermes was confused, before he was kicked in the back, almost toppling over in the water. He managed to right himself, however, and looked behind him as he ran, seeing Markus. The demigod gave a little wave, before accelerating westward. Hermes followed after him.

They zipped through Brooklyn and Boston, the forces from their high speed movement almost destroying everything in their paths. Hermes kept on matching Markus' movements, enjoying himself. He'd never had anyone keep up with him in speed, and he was starting to get competitive. Markus felt the same way.

They continued playing their game of tag. Despite enjoying himself, Markus couldn't fully experience the thrill of running due to the god of speed chasing him. It made the run more challenging, though. When Hermes matched his pace, he tried to kick the demigod and force him to stop running. Markus phased through the kick, annoying Hermes.

In a burst of speed, Markus pushed his physical body to the limit. He made a sharp turn that would've made a normal human body snap in half due to the whiplash. He ran in a circle to build up more speed and momentum. After a minute, he zipped after Hermes and went for a punch. Hermes immediately tried to counter it but Markus faded, leaving his after-image to go through the god. Confused, Hermes was defenceless to the uppercut Markus gave him.

Hermes skidded across the water, almost falling into it but recovering quickly. "That is seriously annoying," Hermes admitted, frowning.

Markus grinned under his mask. "Not my fault that you can't keep up."

"Oh, you did not just say that."

The two continued their races, circling around the world in different areas. They ran from the North Pole to Paris (both grabbed some croissants and baguettes along the way and ate them) and to the Amazon Rainforest. A little scuffle here and there (in which Hermes got in a cheap shot by kicking Markus in the knee after he got distracted for a bit), and then they ran back to New York.

Markus was honestly exhausted. He had very high stamina but this was ridiculous. And Hermes was a god, so his stamina was unlimited. He wasn't actually looking for a fight, but he needed to knock him out. An idea popped into his head.

Two Markus' appeared beside him as he ran, tackling the speed god and giving Markus time.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Hermes yelled out, occupied by the two clones.

"It's not! Read the comics! I'm so fast that I'm in three places at once!" Markus yelled out. As he ran, Markus released his gravity and resistance seals, along with applying Third Gear. He made the Godspeed suit disappear as his hair stood up. His body was already protected by the lightning produced.

Using both the lightning from Third Gear and kinetic energy, Markus ran. He didn't go back to Hermes, he just ran. His perception of time slowed down. He was running through different countries, too fast for him to follow. Yet he was able to move properly with no problem. Markus vibrated the particles in his right arm, so fast that it was a blur to his movement.

The physics behind what he was doing came to his mind. The faster something moved, the more mass it obtains. Force equals mass multiplied by acceleration. He may not have that much mass but he _did_ have a lot of acceleration.

Markus kept moving, his speed reaching just under the speed of light - 186,000 miles per second. The added lightning and kinetic energy was making him move at speeds that he couldn't achieve alone. Gathering enough power, Markus kept moving towards the location where Hermes was, which was just at the banks of the East River. The god was fighting his speed clones. Well, clone. He must've dispatched of one of them.

Moving to the front of Hermes, the god just had enough time to see the smirk on Markus' face before he unleashed his punch. The reaction force of Markus punch made the resounding windows of buildings in Manhattan shatter and some of the buildings to crumple slightly. The ground caved in a bit, along with the windows of many of the cars shattering.

The waves of the East River rippled harshly, feeling the effects of the force behind Markus' punch. And Hermes?

His face caved in slightly, making a crack sound out from his head. The god crumpled like tissue paper, his Golden Age Flash helmet flying off his head. His cheek showed the indent of Markus' fist, which was smoking slightly.

Markus panted harshly, dismissing Third Gear and lying on the ground, unable to move. He was worn out, exhausted and so _so_ hungry. His right arm was splintered, with some bone poking out of it slightly. That wasn't good. His body shook with spasms, trying to get the ambient energy out.

At least he was still conscious. It was a good thing Hermes was a god, or his head would've exploded along with his body. Markus' body wasn't used to moving at that speed all at once. Kinetic energy? No problem. Third Gear? He'd manage. Both together? It was a miracle that he was still in one piece and not all over the place.

An idea popped into his head to heal much quicker. His physical body wasn't able to move, but his willpower wasn't. He commanded the water from the East River to splash on him, rejuvenating him. His right arm was slowly healing, the damage done to it making it slow to heal.

Markus laughed deliriously. "I win!" Markus raised his good hand in victory. He was now back to full strength, except his arm. He laughed in victory, jumping up and down. Then he remembered the unconscious god, and looked down. "Uhh, sorry Hermes. At least you kind of won, since I technically cheated. But... I did run so fast that I knocked you out. So... I win!" Satisfied with his logic, Markus walked to a nearby McDonalds store. He was _starving_.

 **And done! Wow... this took a while to write.**

 **Not going to lie, the race with Hermes was perhaps my most favourite part of this chapter. Since I gave Markus super speed, I always imagined a race between them. And technically, Hermes is faster. Since Markus had to use Third Gear to do his version of the Infinite Mass Punch (not like the original, however). So... You know what? I'll just use Markus' method.**

 **Here, Markus met up with old friends, mentally scarred and frightened the Hunters of Artemis, Markus got blue-balled (poor bastard), met Kronos and Savitr in a dream. Savitr's intervention is due to something that'll make sense in future chapters. Wouldn't want to spoil anything. Oh, and Markus giving Dionysus his just desserts. Which was very nice.**

 **Hope y'all liked the chapter. Nothing really much to say here. Oh, wait. Guest review answers.**

 **I don't know which one is which, so I'll address all of them in order:**

 **1) Having Markus do other quests for different pantheons is a very good idea. Something I will do in the future. Possibly after Titan's Curse.**

 **2) Percy and Reyna meeting at the end of Titan's Curse? ... I can do that.**

 **3) As seen above, Markus and Apollo are... well, not enemies, but definitely hate each other now. And the other issue is already addressed.**

 **4) Artemis and Zoe will join the harem after a while. For character development and all that. And Aphrodite and Markus meeting will be an... interesting encounter. That's all I'll say. And Percy/Calypso would be a very good pair. ** **5) Yes, when the goddesses are in the harem I will go on with the Roman aspects/personalities.******

 **6) No, Aphrodite will stay. I personally want her in for reasons. So she's staying. And no to Hecate or Khione.**

 ** **7) Like with Aphrodite, Artemis is staying in the harem. Since I do personally like her.****

 ** **8) Aphrodite's pairing will be more than just sex. That I will promise.****

 ** **9) Thanks for the idea on Castlevania Lord of Shadows 2. I'll go with either the blood whip or water whip. Leaning towards the water whip. Dunno about Typhon, but we'll see.****

 ** **Anywho, thanks to all those who f, f, r and r the story. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Sorry, just tired.****

 ** **Thanks! Read and review!****


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39:**

"Explain to me why I'm being convinced to go to the arena?" Markus asked, annoyed at Percy. His brother had asked him to come to the arena for something. Markus, who was tired, ignored it and went back to sleep. Percy didn't like that, and tried dragging him out of bed. He was unsuccessful in that. Markus was heavy. Like, really heavy. And when Percy told him this, Markus got out of bed and almost killed Percy due to the comment. He was _not_ fat, he just had a lot of muscle.

"Because we wanted to prove to you that we've gotten stronger," Percy said firmly. The two brothers continued walked to the arena.

Markus sighed. "Look, Percy. I saw how you guys dealt with the manticore. I've seen your skills. You don't have to prove anything to me. And why are you so insistent on trying to impress me, anyways? You have nothing to prove to me."

"Because it's because of you that we're striving to be better," Percy answered, looking serious. "Markus, you've saved most, if not all, of our close friends. You've protected us, and we're grateful for that. But we want to stand on our own two feet. We - me especially - are sick and tired of having to be saved by you. We know you're powerful, we know that you're better than us, but that's not going to stop us. We want to be the ones to save you."

"Yes, because the image of you holding me bridal-style in your arms and protecting me from a big bad monster is something that I'd like to see," Markus snorted sarcastically. Percy almost fell over in laughter, admitting that it'd be very funny.

"I'm serious," Percy said after recovering, trying to be serious. Though the twitching of his lips ruined the image. "The rest of us want to prove ourselves to you."

"He's right," Thalia responded, just now entering their view. The two must've been distracted so much that they didn't notice her presence. In fact, there were others as well. Katie, Silena, Annabeth and Lou, although he didn't know why the last one was there.

"Okay, I get the others, but why is Lou here?" Markus asked curiously. "Not that it's a problem, just asking."

"Well..." Lou started off in a sing-song tone. "I volunteered to be here to test your magical prowess. Obviously, if you don't live up to my standards, then you disappoint the children of Hecate as a whole."

"Really?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. "You sure that you've improved in your magic?"

"We'll find out, won't we?" Lou offered a wide smile.

Markus then looked to the remaining girls. "And I assume that your reasons for being here are the same as Percy's?"

"That's right," Katie confirmed. "We're going to prove to you that we are powerful in our own right."

"And how is this going to be like?" Markus questioned.

"An all-out spar," Thalia suggested, grinning with anticipation. "We all attack you, and you defend."

"Six against one?" Markus asked curiously. "How the hell is that fair?" He was in no way at a disadvantage, but he was just asking.

"You defeated a goddess," Annabeth pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "You've fought monsters and other demigods? Is the great Markus Henderson suddenly getting cold feet?" she asked mockingly, getting giggles from all the girls there.

Markus' eyebrow twitched violently. "You know: I was going to go easy on you, since it's a spar. Now, the kid gloves are off."

"Good," Silena smirked. "It'd be insulting otherwise."

"The rules are as follows," Percy stated. "Weapons, powers and magic are allowed. If all of us are unconscious, you win. If one of us knocks you out, we win." Their side brought out their weapons, Percy brought out Riptide and Lowtide, Annabeth her dual knives, Thalia her spear, Silena a whip (something that seemed both odd and a little hot to Markus), Katie a sword and Lou a spell book.

Markus grinned at seeing them stand. Before, they were inexperienced, unsure of themselves and dealing with their own personal problems and inner demons. Now, they looked powerful, battle-hardened free. This made Markus smile. He didn't know that this was the effect he had on them. He felt proud of them, of all of them. They wanted to prove themselves to him, to stand on their own two feet and be their own person. They hadn't just gotten stronger physically, but mentally as well.

Happiness and pride filled his chest as he cracked his neck, bringing out Yamato from his pocket dimension. "You know, seeing all of you guys stand there, looking all badass and stuff has made me realise something." At their expectant faces, he continued. "I really need more guy friends." They all face-faulted at his answer, some looking at him incredulously, like they couldn't believe that he would say that. "I'm serious. You guys are pretty much the only ones I hang out with. Along with Beck Will from Apollo's cabin. I need more testosterone, people! Seriously!"

Some chuckled, others had mirth shining in their eyes, but they all got serious.

He smirked. "Well, you want me to see that you're strong." Markus' thumb hit the hilt, pushing Yamato out of its sheath slightly. "Prove it."

At the sound of an invisible bell, he vanished. Only to reappear in front of Percy, already striking Riptide with Yamato. Percy immediately started attacking, not bothered by the speed at which Markus had moved at. The group dispersed, giving themselves some room as the two brothers clashed.

Markus was easily keeping up with Percy's dual-wielding. Whenever Percy swung one sword, he followed it with another strike. He tried to disorientate Markus, moving his swords so fast that they looked like a blur to a normal observer. Markus, however, was able to track his swords' movements and match them easily. Markus made to strike, but was interrupted by Thalia intercepting him from behind, attacking with her spear.

The two children of the Big Three kept attacking, following each other's movements perfectly and fighting in sync with one another. Thalia's thrusts, slashes and sweeps mixed with Percy's swordplay. And yet Markus was able to keep up with both of them, something that infuriated the both of them. Markus' katana was a blur as, despite his ease, he attacked, deflected and blocked all of their attacks.

Their stalemate was interrupted by a vine shooting to wrap itself around Markus' sword arm, halting his movement. This allowed Thalia and Percy to strike at his chest. Not allowing them to attack him, Markus yanked his constricted arm with suck strength that it pulled the root from the ground. Then, he was able to react quickly to hilt-slam Percy in the gut, slightly winding him but not putting him down. Then Markus' blade clashed with the tip of Thalia's spear, frustrating her.

Suddenly, rapid-fire rose thorns shot forward towards him. Kicking Thalia away from him, Markus turned to look at the incoming projectiles. While he could dodge them, he decided to go for another approach. Activating his War God Speed Impulse, he was able to see the thorns coming at him in slow motion. He swung Yamato clockwise, his hand expertly rotating the hilt without any problem, causing the blade to swing like a helicopter blade. Watching in rapt attention, he was able to skilfully deflect the thorns using his spinning blade and make them land on the ground in a tidy fashion. **(A.N. - Like Vergil did with Dante's bullets in DMC3)**.

Smirking at a shocked Katie, Markus then used Yamato to quickly and expertly pick up the thorns using his blade and launched them towards her. Instead of dodging, Katie commanded a vine-wall to erupt from the ground, blocking the thorns.

"Okay, how the hell did you do that?" Katie asked, shocked stupid at the crazy action he pulled off.

Markus smirked. "Skill." He then reached up to catch the arrow sailing towards him from Silena. Before he could say anything, he saw the arrow - which was conical-shaped with a point - beeping red, surprising him. He used his War God Speed Impulse again to examine the arrow and have enough time to make a quick decision. Recognising it, he vibrated his body, allowing the arrow to drop and detonate. It created an explosion and caused a small cloud of black smoke to produce.

Markus waved away the smoke as he looked at a grinning Silena, who had her bow out. "Where the hell did you get exploding arrows?" he asked, not mad but curious.

"The Hephaestus kids make some interesting toys," Silena answered her boyfriend with a smile.

Just as the spar was about to continue, the demigods heard shouting. They then looked to see many campers and Hunters (who stood at the side) watching the fight. Many of the campers were cheering the team of demigods.

"Yeah! Kick his ass guys!"

"Break him!"

"Kick him in his-"

The cheering was interrupted by a storm laser, courtesy of Markus, that shot above them, narrowly and purposefully missing their heads. The cheering stopped, and wide and fearful eyes slowly turned to an irritated Markus, who held one hand out.

"I won't miss the next time," Markus whispered, making the campers shake in fear. They slowly nodded, retreating back slightly.

Markus got back into the fight, having to erect a _Speculum Alice_ to deflect several spells casted by Lou back at her. Markus recognised the familiar _Sagitta Spiram Verberare_ , along with even _Stella Inspiratione_ from the barrage.

Lou waved her hand, dismissing the spells mid-flight. Then she sent several charms and curses at him, from exploding curses to piercing charms. Markus transfigured the earth in front of him mud and commanded it to raise up, intercepting the spells and falling apart due to the barrage. He instructed it to form again, however, in the form of a mudslide. He then casted a high-powered fireball - the high power of magic due to his weakness in fire magic - that hit the mudslide. The result was a more solid mudslide with molten rock and tar-like sludge that looked like lava flow from a volcano.

Lou countered this by casting a strong wind spell that cooled the molten rock and flow, causing it to slow down slightly, though not completely. She battled to remove herself from the sludge.

Before Markus could continue attacking, he raised his hand to catch the bolt that Thalia sent his way. The others watched in shock as Markus held the bolt. They grew even more shocked when they saw the bolt growing bigger in size and - when Markus threw the bolt - it split and morphed into two lightning hounds with yellow eyes. The hounds snarled, and - following its master - dashed forward to intercept and distract Thalia, Percy, Silena and Katie.

Markus caught the throwing knife aimed for him from Annabeth and threw it back at her. The daughter of Athena ducked, moving in quickly. She struck out with a kick that Markus dodged, followed by a cross that he deflected. Annabeth kept striking at him, going for pressure points and moving sharply, her grey eyes trying to calculate his movements.

Markus intercepted her strikes, moving out of her attacks. She was very good, he noted. He was able to counter her strikes because he had much more experience in hand-to-hand combat than she did.

Seeing that physical attacks weren't working, Annabeth resorted to knife-fighting. She brought out her two knives and started attacking, Markus having to use Yamato to defend himself. Her movements were much faster than his were, and she went for several maneuvers to disarm him.

As the two were fighting, Markus sensed a binding spell sent behind him from Lou. Just as it was about to hit him, he made an after-image in his place. This action shocked Annabeth and allowed her to be hit with the binding spell instead. Her body froze and locked up as binding ropes trapped her limbs.

Markus sent a blasting curse to the floor, destroying it and producing varying pieces of rubble. He then used a levitation charm to raise the pieces of rubble into the air and sent them forward towards Lou, transfiguring them into sharp metal shuriken.

Lou erected a magical barrier that managed to block the shuriken. She dismissed it as she saw Markus disappear. Before she could figure out where he was, a large body-shaped piece of ice appeared behind her. She just had enough time to see this before Markus - who appeared in a fashion similar to a mummy rising from a sarcophagus - hit her with a wind spell that sent her flying **(A.N. - Sub-Zero's Tombstone Teleport move from Mortal Kombat)**.

Before she could recover from where she was, Markus froze the ground that he was standing on. The ice quickly reached Lou's downed form and partially-froze her. The daughter of Hecate shivered as she was immobilized. She was so cold that she couldn't come up with a fire spell quick enough to escape.

Markus then inspected the others. Thalia had dealt with his lightning hounds, though he wasn't sure how. They didn't escape unscathed. Katie, Percy and Silena had some nasty burns from the hounds while Thalia was fine. All of them were panting with exhaustion.

"Ready to give up?" Markus taunted, still as fresh as a daisy. All of them, including Lou and Annabeth, glared at him. "You guys wanted to fight, so I'm giving you one."

"I'm going to knock that smug smile off your face," Percy growled, gripping his two swords. He stomped on the ground, using his earthshaker abilities. Markus countered by doing the same thing. The two earthquakes battled against each other, the vibrations cancelling each other out. The others stumbled as they tried to regain their balance.

Seeing that his earthquake didn't do anything, Percy charged. However, before he could do anything, Markus used his ice abilities to freeze him solid instantly. Markus lowered the surrounding temperatures to roughly -6,500,000° F. Everyone, including the audience, shivered at the stupid amount of cold that was produced.

"Markus, what the hell?!" Thalia exclaimed angrily. "This is a damn spar! You didn't have to freeze him solid! You could kill him!" The others nodded, equally angry. Everyone looked nervously at the frozen Percy, who's body was stuck in the position it was before becoming an ice sculpture.

"You think I would do such a thing?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow. "I specifically froze him because I wanted to see something. I would never endanger him like that, Thalia. You know that."

And at that moment, Percy's frozen figure shook slightly. Parts of the ice were turning to liquid that ran down his frozen form. Markus gave him enough time to free himself. Eight minutes later, Percy was free.

The son of Poseidon panted, parts of his skin blue and frozen. He glared at his smirking brother, still trying to turn the remaining remnants of ice to water. "You fucking asshole! Are you insane?! You could've killed me!"

"But I didn't," Markus pointed out. "That was a personal test. You know that ice is frozen water, so any ice attack that I do to you wouldn't work."

Everyone let out a breath of relief. They still looked uneasy at Markus, though.

"That still wasn't cool! Seriously, who freezes someone solid to prove a point?!"

"It's tough love, baby brother. At least you're now your favourite colour." Percy growled at him.

He then turned his body into a cloud of vapour that tried to surround Markus, trying to choke him.

Knowing what he was doing, Markus sheathed Yamato and rotated his arms rapidly, making vortexes. The vortexes spun and blew away the cloud of vapour, making Percy panic and reassemble himself into his physical body. Good thing, too. If he hadn't transformed back, his free molecules would've been scattered and almost impossible to put back together.

"Good try, really. But I already knew that trick and developed a counter to this," Markus told him, humour gone. He was impressed at Percy's tactic and it would've worked on anybody else. Not him, though.

Markus brought out Yamato again and engaged Percy in combat again. Percy movements were slightly slower, due to freeing himself from the ice and turning into vapour. Whereas Markus' movements hadn't changed. He disarmed one of Percy's swords and sent it flying. So Percy continued to fight one-handed, trying desperately to find an opening.

Their movements were blurs to crowd and others watching. They were all impressed at the swordplay of both brothers.

Percy used both hands to hold his sword while Markus continued to use one hand. He freed one of his hands and lunged desperately.

Markus moved inhumanely. He dodged the attack and reached out with one hand to clasp his brother's wrist, confusing Percy and the crowd watching. Markus channelled a small amount of lightning to his fingertips and jabbed at Percy's wrist, hitting the ulnar nerve.

Percy cried out in pain and alarm as his arm tingled and became numb at his ring and pinky finger. His arm went slack, no feeling or nerves going into it. Markus used that to his advantage to disarm Percy, sending his sword flying. Before it could move farther, Markus grabbed the sword - which he identified to be Riptide - and slashed at Percy's undefended chest with both swords, creating an X-shape injury, tearing through his shirt and cutting into his flesh. Blood spurted from the wound as Percy screamed.

The others watching this became alarmed and started running towards Markus and Percy, who fell on the ground, semi-conscious.

Markus stabbed Riptide in the ground beside his fallen brother. He then sent Yamato away as he got out Tsunami. Markus then engaged the others in combat, Lou joining the confrontation and being freed from the ice.

Markus kept on blocking and deflecting each attack sent at him, from Thalia's spear, to Annabeth's knives, to Silena's arrows. Katie commanded several Venus flytraps to erupt from the ground and try to trap him, but he made quick work of them.

As Markus kept fighting, he suddenly felt depressed. He wasn't even sure why he was depressed. The shift in emotion was so sudden that he got distracted and ended up getting a lengthy cut from one of Annabeth's knives and got whacked in the face by the end of Thalia's spear. They kept on the attack, happy at the chance given to them.

Markus' mind went override to identify the cause. His sudden depression wasn't normal. He felt so sad, like he should just throw in the fight and give up. He kept on moving, giving himself some distance. Before he could think on it more, he became angry. No, not angry. Livid. Again, he didn't know the cause of this sudden shift. He was usually in control of his emotions, especially anger. Was it Lou's doing?

Then Markus remembered something as he kept attacking. He looked to Silena, who seemed to be concentrating heavily. And suddenly he knew what was going on.

He decided to use his anger to his advantage. Giving into his rage, he roared as he kept on attacking Thalia, who was surprised at the ferocity. Markus swung his spear and, with astounding strength, made Thalia almost fly in the air with her spear leave her hand. Markus then twirled Tsunami like a baton, smacking Annabeth across the face, making her fall.

He then charged at the source of the problem. Seeing this, Silena panicked. Markus then felt different shifts of his emotions, from fear to sadness, but at this point, he was able to get a grasp on his emotions. He stabbed his spear several times, forcing Silena to use her bow to block the powerful attack.

"That was surprising," Markus whispered when the two got close to each other.

Silena smiled slightly. "Something I've been working on. Although it only worked for a split second."

"As a boyfriend, I'm proud of you. Immensely. As a fighter? I'm pissed off."

Silena disengaged from the struggle and gained a good amount of distance. She then swung her whip that, when Markus looked at it properly, looked mechanical. He reached up to catch the extended part, only to feel a slight buzz.

Markus raised an eyebrow at Silena's shocked face. "Sorry, love. Lightning doesn't work on me." He then yanked sharply, causing her to be pulled forward. Markus then jumped, twisted his body and - with great reluctance - gave a spin kick to her face that made the crowd wince. The daughter of Aphrodite was then knocked out promptly.

Markus slammed the butt of his spear on the ground, channelling his godly energy into it. The result was a resounding boom that knocked all the remaining fighters onto the ground from the force. He followed it up with a spell that he had come up with only recently.

"Dark Gravity!" he called out, raising both his hands out. His Yin tattoo glowed as darkness pulsed at his hands and the space around him. Suddenly, Thalia, Annabeth, Katie and Lou were pulled by an unknown force towards Markus. Their bodies looked like rag dolls as they moved. They tried to move against the unknown force, but couldn't.

Once they were close enough, Markus called out another attack. "Rakurai Keimusho! (Lightning Prison!)"

A burst of lightning was the only warning the girls received before they were electrocuted. The finishing result was a multitude of spikes made of electricity produced around Markus' form. They didn't impale the girls, but did shock them and give them a series of burns **(A.N. - The technique is similar to Sasuke Uchiha's Inferno Style: Honoikazuchi from Naruto)**.

The technique ended quickly due to Markus not wanting to hurt the girls too badly. They passed out, all having several burns and smoke curling off their forms. The only one conscious and unharmed was Thalia.

The daughter of Zeus glared at him, moving away from him. Without warning, she launched a compressed ball of wind at him, which Markus responded to with a bolt of lightning. The two attacks collided and created a mini-explosion. Using the distraction, Thalia used the wind to bring her spear back to her while Markus brought his forward.

At the same time, the two of them charged at each other, both of their weapons creating sparks as they collided. The two spear-wielders fought in a sort of dance, moving to steps that seemed natural to them. They kept attacking each other, looking for an opening. Their movements were even, both looking like they could continue fighting. Thalia, however, was slightly exhausted from all the energy spent. Markus took note of this exhaustion and used his trident's prongs to snag the top of Thalia's spear. And then he turned, the prongs catching her spear along with Thalia's body.

Markus then followed it up with disarming her, making her lie on the ground. Her spear flew out of her hands as Markus pinned her to the ground. He held Tsunami to her throat.

"I win," Markus whispered, making Thalia furious but ultimately concede.

"Fine. You win. Now get off of me!"

"I don't know," Markus said cheekily, making Thalia growl. "Should I really?"

"Barnacle Brain, you may be immune to lightning, but that won't save you from me castrating you. Get. Off. Me. Now."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Markus chuckled sheepishly as he got off of Thalia. He offered her his hand which she took.

The audience of campers applauded, though some of them grumbled angrily to themselves. The Hunters moved away to their own space, not happy with the outcome of the fight.

"Good job," Markus complimented. "Seriously, you guys impressed me."

"You don't have to lie to us, Markus," Thalia said sullenly. "You kicked our asses. Simple as that. And after all that effort-"

"Don't talk like that," Markus argued. "Yeah, I did kick your asses. Quite badly. Almost hilariously." At Thalia's depressed face, Markus changed the tone. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not impressed. You guys are way stronger than you were last time. And I can tell that you guys worked your asses off. I'm proud of all of you."

"You mean that?" Thalia asked quietly. "You're not just saying that?"

Markus walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He looked into her electric-blue eyes that showed doubt. "I'm serious. I understand completely why you guys went to such lengths to prove yourselves to me. You want to prove that you're not weak, and that you all can stand on your own two feet. I can relate. That's the reason that I myself want to be powerful. So that I can never be weak and be able to stand on my two feet. I want to be powerful to protect all of you. And that's the same thing that you're trying to prove to me. I can see that. I understand that. You've proven that to me."

Thalia nodded, looking relieved. "Good. You don't know how long I've wanted to here you say that." She suddenly looked unsure about something. "Hey. You still haven't forgotten about... the prophecy, right?"

"About how I'd be there for you and got your back?" Markus answered, smiling. "Never. I promised you, Thalia. And I will keep my promise. Kronos, Luke, any monsters or Titans. I won't let anyone take you away from me. I swear to you."

Thalia nodded, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She furiously wiped at her eyes. "W-We need to get the others to the infirmary."

"Right." Markus created five speed clones to pick up the five that were unconscious demigods and to carry them to the infirmary. Markus followed after them along with Thalia.

The two reached the infirmary, the children of Apollo tending to them. Markus immediately asked one of them to get him a basin of water. They looked confused, but Will told them to get him it. A couple of minutes later, they brought the basin with them.

Markus placed it on a table next to him and dipped his hand in the water. He then placed his hand on Annabeth's arm. He then used the water that he had contact with to heal the daughter of Athena. The trick was something that he'd learned before his training trip but never got the chance to try it out.

After a while, Annabeth's form relaxed, the lightning burns fading away significantly. The children of Apollo and Thalia watched, shocked at the spectacle happening.

Markus did the same for the rest of them. For Percy, he just dumped a basin of water on his head, which made him wake up spluttering. At least his wound healed. When he woke up, he realised that the others had lost. He looked depressed, before Markus gave him the same speech he'd given Thalia. It made him feel slightly better.

Markus then casted several healing spells that would speed up the process. He then nodded to several of the medics there, before walking out with Thalia. He made to help Percy to cabin three, but his brother refused, saying that he would walk alone.

Markus and Thalia exited the infirmary. Markus wanted to stay with the others but he knew that they were in good hands. He just did most of the work. He looked to Thalia, who looked nervous about something.

"What's wrong, princess?" Markus asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Thalia definitely looked suspicious. She paced around nervously, her face red. She kept playing with her bracelet. What was wrong with her?

When she made to speak, she blushed even harder. Then she growled. What the hell was wrong with her?

Markus' sharp hearing caught her muttering "Screw it" before she pushed Markus back, shocking him. Before he could say anything, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and brought his lips to hers, kissing him.

Markus was so shocked by the action that he didn't move for a moment, with Thalia being the one to kiss him. His brain became dead when her admittedly soft lips connected with his. She was kissing him. Thalia was kissing him. What the hell was he supposed to do?!

Several thoughts ran through his head. One, Silena was going to be so mad that he was making out with a girl while she was unconscious. Two, he reminded himself that his girlfriend was basically allowing him to be with other girls, which she knew about. And three, he really wanted to respond to the kiss. Badly.

Just as Thalia was about to separate herself due to fear, embarrassment and sadness due to him not responding back, she was shocked when Markus wrapped his arms around her and gave a deep kiss. A couple of emotions whirled inside of her, the most prominent being happiness. She moaned as Markus kissed her back, his arms slipping to the small of her back.

It was a simple kiss that was supposed to be innocent. But since they were growing teenagers, their hormones kicked in. Thalia's hands trailed to his abs and went under his shirt, her thin and nimble fingers rubbing themselves across his stomach, making Markus shiver slightly in excitement. Markus' hands went to her hips, almost reaching her ass. Their simple kiss turned into an intense lip-lock. Markus' tongue leapt forward and moved and danced inside the daughter of Zeus' cavern.

Thalia gave a slight squeal as Markus picked her up and sped them towards cabin one. Markus shut the cabin door before pouncing on the girl, resuming their kissing. He pushed her against the wall slightly as they continued, his hands reaching for and squeezing her fat ass, making Thalia moan. She was wondering how he was so experienced in this, but ignored the question for now in favour of enjoying herself.

Markus slightly removed the mental block on his libido, and started to become more rough but slow. His hands kneaded Thalia's perfect ass in his hands, enjoying the roundness and firmness of it. He had to admit to himself that Thalia had a better ass than Silena. Thalia's was more bigger and rounder, while Silena's was slightly smaller but nevertheless still perfect. His tongue moved like a snake in Thalia's mouth, teasing and working her tongue like it was prey.

Both of them stopped the kissing for a moment but still groping each other. Markus stared down at Thalia's bruised lips, at her lustful expression, and he kissed her again. A part of their minds wanted to talk to each other, to question the situation that they were in, but they ignored it for now.

After a few moments, Thalia was the one to retreat back from the kiss. Markus made to kiss her again but she held her hands against his chest, stopping his movements. "Wait," she whispered, wanting to continue but rationality came to her mind. "Wh-What does this make us?"

That question stopped Markus cold. His lust went down for a moment, and then he remembered the situation that he was in. Markus suddenly felt guilty. He really liked Thalia, possibly loved her. But he also loved Silena and the other girls. The struggle was annoying him and made him curse Aphrodite sometimes for making his love life so complicated. "Thalia, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" she panted, still breathing heavily from the kiss.

Markus felt like a complete asshole for doing this, but he had no choice. He had to tell her. It was the right thing to do. He refused to lead her or any other girl on like a scumbag. So he decided to be blunt and brief. "I'm currently dating Silena, but I like you. Like, really really like you. But I also have the same feelings for other girls." Wow, that wouldn't make him sound like an asshole. Not at all. It made him seem like the scum of the Earth. Like some creepy assholish pervert.

Thalia blinked, and Markus could see the shock and sudden heartbreak in her eyes. It made his heart crack at seeing that expression in her eyes. "Wh-What d-did you say?" she asked, removing herself from his grip and moving away from him.

With heavy reluctance, Markus slowly and sadly repeated what he'd said. "I said that I'm dating Silena, but I like you. Along with others."

Thalia looked at him with shock for a moment, and then her expression turned from sadness to rage. "Get out," she whispered angrily.

"Thalia-" Markus tried to say, but Thalia interrupted him.

"GET OUT! YOU BASTARD! GET OUT BEFORE I KILL YOU, YOU SICK FUCK! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!" Thalia shrieked with rage and sadness, tears of anger and pain streaming down her face.

"Thalia, please," Markus pleaded, already having expected this, even though he hated it so much. He didn't move as she blasted him with lightning that didn't affect him. Her rage was clouding her judgement. Seeing that lightning didn't work, she brought out her spear and tried to skewer him in rage.

"I SAID GET OUT! GET OUT BEFORE I KILL YOU!" Thalia roared, hot tears going down her face. Markus kept dodging her attacks before he grew frustrated. He caught her spear before yanking it out of her hands. He then pinned her to the wall by her wrists. She tried kicking him, but his pinned her legs down as well.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO RIG-"

"LISTEN TO ME!" Markus roared, interrupting her. Thalia pinned her sparking and glowing eyes at him. Before she could scream again, Markus continued.

"You think I want this?" he growled, angry at himself. He could completely understand her reaction and it was completely justified. Honestly, Markus wanted to leave her alone and run away to the deepest part of Earth to hide. But he refused to do that. He was man enough to go with his decision, so he would take the full brunt of all of this. "You think that I want to be stuck in this fucking mess of emotions and shit? I don't! I never, ever, ever wanted to hurt you. Right now, seeing you like this is breaking me. Because it's all my fault. And I'm so, so, so sorry."

Thalia looked like she was about to shout again, but she was interrupted by a knock at the cabin door. Both of them were wondering who it was and that it was a bad time to see someone right now. But Markus knew that whoever it was at the door, wouldn't go away. So, with great reluctance, Markus released Thalia and went to the door.

He opened it to reveal Silena, who looked mostly recovered.

She gave Markus a meaningful look, before pushing him slightly to walk towards Thalia, and scooped her in a hug. Silena just rubbed her back as she whispered into the daughter of Zeus' ears. "It's okay" "I know" "I know".

Thalia ended up crying into Silena's shoulder, making Markus' heart ache. As Silena comforted Thalia, she gave Markus the signal to wait, to which he did. Markus could tell that Silena's words were laced with a small amount of charmspeak, which did its job of calming Thalia down.

When Thalia stopped crying, she looked into Silena's eyes. "Why?" she croaked, making Markus angry at himself for possibly the hundredth time. "Why are you defending him?"

"Because I love him," Silena told her simply. "And he loves you too, even if he doesn't know it himself." Markus made to say something, but was interrupted by Silena glaring at him. Wow, she was surprisingly ferocious when it came to matters of the heart.

She then looked back to Thalia. "I'm not going to lie, I was angry when I found out that he still liked you and the other girls, even when we started dating. Maybe it's the Aphrodite in me, but I simply loved him too much. And I can sense the love that he has for you. He cares for you, for me, for all of us. Even though he acts nonchalant, he has a lot of love that makes me think that he's a son of Aphrodite." Thalia chuckled, even if it was only small. "I understand completely why you feel angry, betrayed, hurt, and all of those things. I can sense all of it. But you should know that he would never, even unintentionally, hurt you. I promise you that."

Thalia's eyes showed less of the anger and sadness from before. "But why does he want other girls?" she asked. "Aren't you good enough?"

"It's because of my fatal flaw." Markus chose that time now to speak up. "My greed won't allow me to be satisfied with one girl that I love. It's something I'm not happy about, but I simply want more. In this case, I want the girls that I li- love," he corrected himself when he saw Silena's glare.

Understanding dawned on Thalia. She wiped away her tears as she looked at the two. "I-I get why, now. I understand it. But I-I'm not sure if I could go through with it."

Markus' face fell. The rejection was simple, and yet it felt like his world was crashing down on him. Before he could say anything, Silena intervened. "I understand that you're still skeptical," she said knowingly. "Markus, come here."

Confused, he walked forward.

"Think of your love for the girls that you love, including Thalia," Silena instructed. "Bring out all the emotion, all the experiences that you had with them."

Markus nodded, doing exactly that. He thought of his first meetings with each girl in his life that he lik- no, loved. He knew that now. He thought of meeting Annabeth for the first time. Of how when he awoke from being unconscious, she interrogated him quite poorly. Then when they had their first proper introduction. _You drool when you_ _sleep_. Yeah, she was sentimental like that.

Back then, Markus hated Annabeth. She was annoying, judgemental, bossy, a know-it-all and a bitch. But then there was the quest. All of the quest members had bonded with each other during the quest. All of their pasts and encounters were revealed, and they all bonded through that. To him, Annabeth became a good friend.

And then he started hanging out with her, and he realised that she had certain quirks that he liked; her smarts, her toughness, her blonde hair and grey eyes, her rambling that started off as annoying but ended up as cute. The quests and encounters with each other made Markus fall for her even more, even if he wouldn't admit it.

When he found out about the prophecy, he was hurt. Sure, he understood why she hid it from him, but the fact that she didn't tell him something that concerned his future made him furious. It took Hestia advising him to forgive her that he even bothered to apologise, something that he was thankful for.

Then his mind drifted to Katie, the cute girl that he'd met at the camp store. She seemed shy, awkward and kind. She was one of Markus' friends that stood by him in the worst of times, and for that he was grateful. Her lack in confidence was something Markus was determined to help her in.

As she grew - from shy and quiet but surprisingly stern to a beautiful girl brimming with confidence - Markus instantly fell in love with her without knowing.

Then Silena, the girl who had his back even now. His first encounter with her was nothing short of embarrassing. He was head over heels for the pretty daughter of Aphrodite. She was so pretty, down to earth and helpful. She was so unlike her siblings that sometimes Markus questioned whether she was a daughter of Aphrodite or not. Plus, she truly believed in love, something her siblings failed to do. She had so much love in her that it was astounding and admirable at times. That was the main reason that Markus loved her so much. She was even willing to share him with other girls because she didn't want to destroy the love that he and the others had.

Her turning traitor flashed into his mind. That was something that wounded him deeply, almost as much as losing his mum. It wasn't only the fact that she turned traitor, but the fact that it was her. He didn't want to possibly fight her, to turn her in to Olympus only to die. Or worse. That was something that Markus never wanted to happen. Even thinking on it now, he only felt sadness for her having to put up with the whole thing. Along with anger at Luke.

Finally, Thalia. The girl that he had made cry with his actions. Honestly, Markus felt like a piece of shit right now just looking at her. When they first met, after she had recovered from her tree-metamorphosis, they were good friends. And then they started arguing. And fighting. And argued. And fought. Come to think of it, she was the most annoying person that he'd had the pleasure of meeting at the time. Now, he wanted nothing more but to kiss her and wipe her tears away.

When she found out the truth about the prophecy, he felt pity and sadness for her. She was just like him. If their situations were reversed, then he'd be the prophecy child instead of her. Her shock, horror and anger made Markus want to comfort her. And when he promised to protect her and be there for her, he saw the doubt, the fear, and sadness turn to hope, confidence and sadness. It was something that he always wanted to cherish.

When she saw Markus' eyes light up completely, Silena smiled. She held out her hand, which Markus grasped.

All three of them gasped. Markus didn't know how, but he was able to feel... _love_. All the love that he felt, that Silena had and that Thalia had. He didn't know how to describe it, but it felt... sweet, like lemon. He didn't know how love actually felt, but the sweet and bubbly emotion was there. Thalia's feelings were retreating sadness, anger and pain that was quickly being replaced by the emotion. Silena's was like a beacon. It was so bright and large that Markus almost shed a tear. Him, the badass demigod that he was, crying slightly.

When they let go of each other's hands, all of them had tears from their eyes. Markus quickly wiped his own tears away. "Wh-What was that?" he asked, still emotional.

Silena smiled beautifully. "That was all the love that you two had for each other. It's another demigod ability that I unlocked for myself."

Thalia furiously wiped at her eyes, getting rid of her own tears. "I... That was... nice," she finished lamely. This made the others laugh at her. She glared, but then ended up laughing as well.

When they finished, Markus looked hopefully at the daughter of Zeus. "So..." he said, suddenly nervous. He hated it but couldn't help it. "Are you... okay with all this?"

Thalia looked deep in concentration. Markus' heart hammered loudly against his chest in nervousness. He wanted to hear her answer but at the same time didn't want to, at the same time.

Just when Markus' hopes were falling, Thalia spoke. "I-I don't know if I'm going to get used to it. But..." Thalia stepped forward and gently kissed the son of Poseidon, giving him her answer.

Markus' hopes and spirits went from falling to soaring. A chibi-version of him was cheering joyfully and even had victory flags waved in his head. Before he could kiss back, Thalia stepped back and gave him a slap to the face.

Markus blinked, the surprise going to him more than the pain. He didn't really feel it that much. "What the fuck was that for?!" Markus exclaimed, shocked.

Thalia glared at him. "That was for making me cry and angry when you could've gone with a different method than just dumping it all on me. And also for making me cry!"

Markus just blinked stupidly, before he chuckled. Before the daughter of Zeus could say anything, Markus leaned forward and kissed her gently again, making Thalia's anger melt. After a moment, they separated. "I love you," he whispered happily, making Thalia almost tear up in joy.

"I love you, too," she whispered back. Both of them leaned forward, their foreheads connected in a sweet moment.

At a clap sound, they both jumped. They saw that it was Silena that had clapped. "You guys do know that I'm still here, right?" she pouted.

Markus chuckled, moving forward and wrapping his arms around her. "I know that. I love you too."

Silena smiled, happy. "Good." She then looked to Thalia. "Come on," she gestured.

Smiling, the daughter of Zeus walked forward and embraced the couple, joining in. The three of them were extremely happy, something that they planned to cherish.

 **XXX**

All the counsellors were in the rec room, sometimes called the war room. Markus didn't know why, since there was a ping-pong table and Cheese Whiz.

Since Markus and Percy were the only two in cabin three, they both decided to be co-counsellors. It made things easier for both of them.

For the Hestia cabin, Alabaster had come forth as counsellor. He was voted by the majority of the residents because he was one of the oldest demigods, as well as one of the most powerful demigods.

Markus sat with Thalia and Silena on his sides, something that made Markus happy. Since their confession and dating (this whole situation was just becoming confusing) and became one of his girlfriends, Markus couldn't stop grinning. Hell, he was still grinning even now. He'd even taken a victory lap around the planet, not using Third Gear. His happy emotions carried him forward to run.

Before, Markus used to curse his complicated situation. Now, Markus planned to kiss Aphrodite in thanks for all of this. A nudge to his side made him look to Silena. She had a questioning look on her face, wondering as to why he was grinning. Markus gestured towards Thalia with his eyes. Silena and Thalia - seeing the gesture - rolled their eyes, but still smiled.

A throat was cleared as Chiron entered with his guise of being handicapped up so he could wheel in the room without knocking anything over.

"This meeting, which has been called in order to prepare for the upcoming Campers v Hunters Capture-The-Flag game is now in session," Chiron began formally. Before promptly dropping the formality and asking almost pleadingly, "Anyone got any ideas?"

Conversation from some of the demigods was brought forward, but no concrete ideas.

"What do you think, Markus?" Beckendorf asked. Every pair of eyes turned to the son of Poseidon, pushed down his grin - which he didn't want to do - and looked confused. "Why are you asking me?" he asked in confusion.

"We know that you plan to get back at the Hunters," the son of Hephaestus rolled his eyes. The others nodded, remembering what Markus had done to them when they came to camp. They all shuddered, still having nightmares about the whole thing.

"Why would you assume that I would..." Markus' sentence fell when he saw the deadpanned looks everyone was giving him. Even Chiron. He huffed. "Fine. Since you all asked so nicely..."

"So you have an idea?" Connor Stoll asked eagerly.

Markus gave a grin filled with so much evil intent and mischievousness that even the Stoll brothers shivered. He chuckled creepily. "Oh, I have sooo many ideas..." His creepy chuckle was cut off by Thalia whacking him on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Markus complained. Thalia just glared at him.

"Tone down the creepiness, Barnacle Brain!"

"Sadist...," Markus muttered. He had to phase through a fist from the girl. "Ha!" He phased again through a kick. "Aha!" He was suddenly whacked on the head again by Silena, who Markus didn't expect to do that.

"What she said," Silena frowned. "We don't want more nightmares."

"I'm surrounded by sadists," Markus grumbled, pouting. Everyone chuckled at the scene.

"Back on topic. We need someone that can stand against Zoë, seeing as she is usually the one to get the flag," Annabeth mused, getting frowns from several faces in the crowd.

"I want a crack at her!" Mark, son of Ares, proclaimed with a grin, "She's a good fighter!"

"No way, I've got first dibs!" Thalia growled as electricity danced around her eyes.

"We got this, girl. Patented sabotage for the win!" Travis cheered, getting a high-five from his brother.

A sharp whistle broke up the argument before it could really begin. Everyone was silent as Markus removed his fingers from his lips. "Thank you. Now, I think one factor as to why you've been losing has been clear."

"Which is?" Annabeth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Teamwork." At everyone's confused looks, he elaborated. "You guys need to work together. I haven't seen that many Capture-the-Flag games, but I can tell that you guys only work together when the situation calls for it."

When the truth became clear on all of them, there were some grumbles. But none of them disagreed.

"So what else?" Will asked.

"Make use of the environment," Markus gave off another point. "The Hunters are used to hunting in forests, so they're likely to have the advantage. Which should be impossible, since this is your camp. You guys know this place better than they do. Use that knowledge. Get the Hermes and Hephaestus cabins to set up traps. Me and Alabaster could work on trap spells and other stuff. The Demeter cabin could use the nature advantage. Katie, you could use the trees and ground to your advantage. Grow thistles, thorns, poison ivy, all of that stuff. It not only limits their surroundings and ground-level, but also makes it easier to predict their movements. Will, trick arrows. Fart arrows, explosive arrows, flash bangs, I'm going to need all of that. Get Beck to stock up on all of that stuff."

"Okay, Sergeant. Anything else?" Mark asked sarcastically. Secretly, everyone was impressed by the ideas and planning that Markus came up with. Will and the Stolls brothers were especially impressed. Why hadn't they thought of fart arrows or traps?!

"Yeah. Alabaster, how good are you guys at illusions?" Markus asked his former mentor.

"Uhh, pretty good," Alabaser answered. "Why?"

"You watch any horror films?" Everyone was confused at his question.

"Some. Why does that mat- oh..." Alabaster understood what he was talking about. He grinned maliciously. "I get what you mean."

Markus sported an identical grin. "Good. Though I have a question. Why don't I just blitz past the Hunters and grab the flag? I can get it in an instant."

"No," everyone answered immediately. Markus frowned. "Why?"

"Because we want to win this together," Katie answered, frowning. "We've been losing against the Hunters for ages. This is the time where we win. It wouldn't be fair if you just win it for us in four seconds."

"Two, actually," Markus muttered, but he was still glared at.

"Plus, not everyone can be stupidly OP and bum-rush anyone they see," Mark commented.

Markus frowned. "I'm not stupidly OP."

"Yes you are!" everyone shouted at him.

"What the hell is this?! Pick on Markus Day?!"

"I thought that was Wednesday," Percy said, grinning. This got other people to chuckle at the remark.

Markus glared at all those who laughed. "All of you can suck the biggest of dick," he growled.

 **Finished!**

 **Another chapter uploaded. ... Wow, that statement is kind of losing its appeal the more I update my stories.**

 **Chapter overlook time: here, we see the gang going up against Markus and losing (which was more of a sort of sentimental moment for them rather than a normal ass-whooping, but meh), Thalia breaking down in sadness but then later kisses and makes up with Markus (and joins the harem. So... WOOOHOOO! Another girl added to the harem! AWESOME. *Clears throat* Anyways...) along with a sentimental moment - something I loved writing more than the other parts of the chapter, to be honest - and the campers planning to unleash a can of whoop-ass on the Hunters. Sooo much fun next chapter, can't wait.**

 **Now... Guest review answer time.**

 **1) I'm a bit iffy on Negima's Magia Erebea, but that's not a no. So I'll think about it.**

 **2) The Zeus v Markus smackdown. While that would be amazing to write, I would put it like Markus tricking Zeus rather than fighting him. Since Markus isn't fully on Big Three class yet. Just borderline. So the fight would be more tactics and tricks. Plus Markus has the immediate advantage, since he's immune to lightning. And Ares and Athena joining would lead to them getting their asses wrecked easily.**

 **3) Thanks for the compliment on me doing the Greek/Roman forms well. Markus running so fast that he'll go to another world/the past would be sort of a side adventure that could be done in the future. Something that I'd love to write about. Thx for that.**

 **Yeah, that's pretty much it. I might make a short chapter in the future that'll detail Markus' stats as well as the others', just so you know what they're all capable of.**

 **Again, thx to all those who f,f, r and r the story. I love all the support and praise. Thanks so much!**

 **Read and Review!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40:**

For fifteen minutes, the counsellors were listening in Markus' plan, adding a few things so there wouldn't be a gap in the plan. After the last detail been put in, they all went to the cabin to explain to their siblings what the plan is and to prepare. Pretty soon, Capture the Flag started.

All of the campers, except the children, were stretching or testing out their weapons. Wanting to put his plan into play, Markus zipped through the entire forest, planting the traps that the children of Hermes and Hephaestus had put in place.

Wanting to change things up, Markus brought out Wavebreaker this time for battle. He, Thalia and Percy were heading for the Hunters' flag. They wouldn't expect the children of the Big Three to be coming after them.

Alabaster had set up the illusions and magical traps throughout the forest. Now it was just a matter of springing them.

Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.

"Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team - Camp Half-Blood - shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis - red team - shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"

Markus led the campers deep into the forest (avoiding the traps) and looking for a place to put their flag. The best place that was decided was on top of Zeus' Fist. It was this cluster of boulders in the middle of the west woods that, if you look at it just the right way, looks like a huge fist sticking out of the ground. If you look at it from any other side, it looks like an enormous pile of shit, but Chiron wouldn't let them call the place the Poop Pile, or Shit Pile. Especially after it had been named for Zeus, who apparently doesn't have much of a sense of humour. What a surprise.

Anyway, it was a good place to set the flag. The top boulder was twenty feet tall and really hard to climb, so the flag was clearly visible, like the rules said it had to be, and it didn't matter that the guards weren't allowed to stand within ten yards of it. Markus transfigured the earth and a couple of boulders to form some earth golems, which were twice the height of a normal man. They weren't armed, but were big, strong and quite fast, despite their make-up. He also casted several wards and barriers around the surrounding. Hey, it was never stated that they couldn't use magic.

"You guys know your positions?" Markus asked, getting nods from everyone. "Good. You know your roles. My barriers and wards will be able to guard the flag, along with my golems, but no one get arrogant. Hit those arrogant bitches hard and fast. Percy, you're focus is on defence. Use the surrounding snow to your advantage. Along with that, get any Hunter that comes our way back or down. Thalia, use Aegis to scare them off, along with attacking them with either lightning or wind. I'll thin the crowd that comes from the front. Got all of that?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good," Markus nodded. Then he grinned. "Let's win this game and kick some Hunter ass!"

They all cheered in agreement to his statement.

 **XXX**

The campers broke into small groups. One group was a couple of campers led by Silena and Katie. Signalling to their group, the two of them made their way up the trees, the action coming naturally to them. Up from their view, they saw three Hunters. All of them were vigilante, their eyes scanning their surroundings carefully. Katie smirked, and mentally commanded roots that sprouted out from seeds that Markus had planted with her insisting. The roots slowly morphed into full-grown flowers that produced clouds of pollen.

The cloud of pollen started small, but eventually reached the Hunters. They were alarmed, and tried to move, but it was too late. They already inhaled the pollen, making it harder for them to breathe. They held their necks, coughing and hacking. Pretty soon, they all passed out.

Just as the two were about to move on, they saw another group of Hunters running to the direction of their fallen comrades, bows raised.

Katie made to move, but Silena already did the action for her. She drew her arrow and shot an explosive arrow at the ground in front of them. It beeped for a few seconds, making the incoming Hunters pause. Then it exploded, flinging them back and dispersing the cloud of pollen.

With them dazed, Katie used several roots from the ground to wrap around them, binding them for the time being. Their jobs done, the two girls high-fived each other. They made to move, but paused as a couple of screams rang out across the forest.

Looking in that direction, Silena spoke. "I'm guessing that the traps were triggered."

Katie nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Is it wrong that I'm very happy about it?"

"No, we're playing to win."

"Yeah, I know. But at the same time, I'm not sure I want to know what traps were sprung. They were created by the Stolls after all."

Katie made to say something, then stopped. "Yeah, you might need to worry, then."

 **XXX**

Six Hunters were running through the forest, panicking and fearful. Just what the Hades was going on?! This wasn't supposed to happen! They were supposed to be winning, not running for their lives! Since when did the campers get so resourceful with traps?! It must've been the female campers! The males were too stupid to come up with something like this.

Just as they thought this, the ground exploded underneath them. The Hunters' world was shaking. One of them fell under the ground due to the earth becoming loose under her feet. Another screamed in pain as a bear trap - who used a bear trap?! - sprung onto her feet, biting into her flesh and causing her to fall to the ground in pain.

"We have to retreat!" the lead Hunter shouted. "Regroup and-"

She was interrupted by screams coming from in front of her. The able Hunters prepped their bows in that direction, only to see some of their fellow sisters screaming in fright. The cause was clear a few seconds as a grown man in an odd and scary looking white mask with spirals on the cheeks and red lines underneath the chin **(A.N. - Mask from Saw)**. He was also wearing a black suit with a tie.

" **Hello, little girls** ," the creepy man grumbled out. They couldn't tell by his mask, but he was smiling gleefully. He held up a bloody hacksaw in his hand. " **Do you want to play a game**?"

The Hunters screamed, unleashing their silver bows upon the being, only for them to harmlessly pass through. They kept on shooting as the man got closer, having no effect on the approaching man. The girls that were running before dropped their bows and fled, screaming as the man kept asking the same thing. " **Do you want to play a game? I want to play. Why are you running? I only want to PLAY!"**

The girls' screams were heard by all campers and Hunters.

 **XXX**

Close by, several other Hunters were experiencing something similar. Only they were screaming in fear and pain.

The reason why? Well, it was due a thin, unnaturally tall being - that looked like a man - with a featureless face and head that was all white, with a black suit. And he was currently suspending a couple of Hunters with black tentacles that protruded from his back and was stabbing one of them with a rusty knife. The girl in question kept on screaming, begging and crying for him to stop.

The man stopped, looking at the girl questionably. Just as it seemed like he was about to stop, his blank white face opened at the bottom where his mouth should be. What was revealed was a maw of sharp daggers for teeth and an elongated tongue. The nightmarish mouth roared, stabbing into the girl again, this time cutting off one of her legs. The blood sprayed his face and suit.

The Hunter screamed loudly, more in shock and pain than fear this time. She was fully crying, blubbering for the monster to stop.

Eventually, he did stop. But not before dragging the Hunters that were trapped by his tentacles to somewhere deep in the forest. The girl that was now stabbed tried to call out for him to stop, but it was too late. The Hunters screamed as they struggled and wriggled, but could do nothing as they were taken away.

The Hunter that was stabbed sobbed and wailed as to having her sisters taken away, powerless to do nothing.

To any other person watching, they would see the Hunter that was stabbed completely fine, only curled into a ball and bawling her eyes out. They would also see the Hunters that were taken away hanging in a tree, uselessly and aimlessly trying to wriggle their way out of the traps set.

 **(A.N. - I don't have to spell it out for you as to what the Hunters saw in the illusion. If you don't know, it was good ol' Slendy.)**

 **XXX**

Charles and Alabaster hid under the ground to surprise the Hunters. The son of Hephaestus questioned as to how they were going to surprise them, but Alabaster assured him that his plan was perfect. They waited for a few minutes, with great patience, till Alabaster felt the footsteps on top of them. Nodding to Charles, both of them sprung their trap.

Charles swung his Wrath Hammer that was alight with flames - something that he installed into his weapon so that it could deal more damage - and struck the ground above them. This caused a crater to form and some Hunters fell through. The ones that didn't prepped their bows, but Alabaster cast a binding spell that caused their bodies to freeze.

"See? Worked like a charm," the son of Hecate said to his partner.

"Fine, fine. I guess it was a decent plan."

The Hunters saw the two of them, Charles grinning and Alabaster smirking. They quickly turned red in rage quickly after realising what had happened.

"Release us at once, males, and we won't consider taking what makes both of you men!" One of the hunters exclaimed. Charles only smirked in amusement, enraging them further.

"Almost forgot how annoying you guys are," Alabaster commented, making them glare at him. "Don't worry. You guys are going nowhere anytime soon, so sit back and relax until the end of the games." With a parting wave, both of them left to deal with the rest of the Hunters, leaving their victims trapped.

 **XXX**

Another team, led by Connor and Travis, were aiming to take out the Hunters that were near the borders. Following the two were the Hermes and Apollo cabins.

Travis and Connor made a signal motion to stop, so the whole group did. "There are three scouts in the area, all in a single knit group," Connor said to the others.

"So what do we do?" a camper asked. The two Stoll brothers grinned mischievously, making the ones that aren't Hermes children shiver in fear. They feel sympathy for those three Hunters.

"What all Hermes children would do," Travis said and Connor grabbed a few gas and stink bombs. "Prank the Hades out of all of 'em!"

Correction, they really felt sorry for those Hunters. Travis and Connor jumped to their locations and saw three Hunters, one of them that is built like a tank. Connor and Travis grinned at each and threw the gas bombs. The Hunters stopped, seeing three red balls before it explode into gas. The gas evaporated after a few minutes to reveal…two Hunters?

"Hey, where'd the other one go?" Travis said, and Connor shrugged. They both gone down to see where the leader was at, looking around the place. They both stop when they felt a hand on both their shoulders and stiffened.

"Looking for me?" a girl's voice said. The two pale and slowly turn to see the big tank like Hunter behind them.

Before any beating could take place, Will Solace came to the rescue. "Close your eyes!" he hissed loudly. Knowing what was about to occur, both sons of Hermes closed their eyes.

The Hunter could do nothing but scream as her eyes were assaulted by multiple flash bang arrows. Her hands immediately went to her eyes. So distracted was she that she didn't see the bow swinging towards the back of her head, knocking her out.

The Stolls waited for a few minutes, then opened their eyes. "Thanks," Travis thanked the son of Apollo. "We almost got our asses handed to us after pulling off a prank."

"Totally unacceptable," Connor added.

Will sighed. "Yeah, sure."

 **XXX**

Markus ran - not at superspeeds - along with Percy and Thalia. Sensing a couple of presences ahead, he held up his hand, halting their approach.

"What's up?" Thalia asked.

"Couple of Hunters ahead," Markus answered. "Percy, you use the snow to take care of the ones in the front- oh, wait." He pointed his hand in a particular direction. He sent several tripping and confundus charm at incoming Hunters through the trees. His spells were successful when he heard several shouts of alarm and bodies hitting the ground. "Took care of a couple of them as well."

"Magic is bullshit," Thalia and Percy commented in perfect unison.

Markus scoffed. "You guys are just jealous. Now, Percy. You do your thing."

Percy nodded, going on ahead. Thalia started to run as well, but Markus called out to her. "Thalia."

She turned to look at him. "Wha-" She couldn't finish as Markus quickly placed his hands in her hand and her waist. He then twirled her like a princess, making her scream slightly in shock. She landed in his side and arms, making it easier for Markus to pull her into a deep kiss.

Thalia was shocked but soon relaxed as she responded to the kiss. Both of them were enjoying themselves, happy at the contact. Thalia made to deepen the kiss but Markus reeled back quickly, grinning. "There'll be more of that later, love."

Thalia scowled, hating being teased. "Ass."

"Well, I've been told I have a great ass," Markus responded cheekily, leaning back to take a look at his own behind. "Plus..." Markus' hands snaked to grab Thalia's ass in his hands, making her squeak. "... I do consider myself an ass-man."

"I hate you," the daughter of Zeus grumbled, cheeks pink.

"No, you looooove me~" Markus teased. He then sighed and retreated back reluctantly. "Alas, our romancing will have to wait. We _are_ in the middle of kicking Hunter ass."

"Uh huh. Like that'll stop you," Thalia commented, glaring at her boyfriend. The word 'boyfriend' made her feel funny, but in a good way.

Markus smiled. "You know me so well." And so the two of them jogged ahead, meeting Percy and a couple of snow-bound Hunters. "You guys took your sweet time," Percy said.

"Don't complain," Markus said. Looking at a defenseless flag, he walked forward, vibrating his body. Good thing too, because three Hunters jumped out of their hiding spots and shot at him. The arrows passed throw his vibrating body, shocking and confusing them. Grabbing the flag, he turned to his crew. "Thalia, if you could," Markus said, his vibrating and sounding like Megatron.

Nodding, Thalia scrunched up her face in concentration, and a burst of lightning struck the Hunters, shocking them. The attack was so fast that it seemed like it appeared out of thin air. The Hunters collapsed, twitching slightly and near unconscious.

"Good job," Markus nodded, voice back to normal. "Now, to win the game." He disappeared in a burst of vapour.

He then reappeared at the site of seeing Zoe struggling to fight his earth golems. He saw that one seemed to be defeated (which was slightly impressive) but had difficulty with the others.

Looking to see who she had sensed, Zoe's eyes widened in caution and slight fear. She backed up, aiming her bow at Markus but not shooting.

"Yo," Markus gave a peace sign, not bothered by the Hunter. "I'm not in a vindictive mood today, seeing as how we're literally inches from victory. So let's wrap things up." Markus casted a small minor curse at the Hunter. " _Levicorpus._ " **(A.N. - Yes, it's the same Levicorpus from Harry Potter)**.

Zoe dropped her bow as she was suddenly yanked by her left ankle by a mysterious and invisible force. She dropped her bow mid-movement, so now she was dangling in the air by her legs. "R-Release me!" she exclaimed angrily, shocked. "What sorcery is this?"

"My kind of sorcery," Markus simply answered, walking forward and planting the Hunters' flag at the campers' side, signifying their win.

"Camp Half-Blood wins!" Chiron boomed happily. He truly looked happy at this and so did the campers as indicated by their cheering. "For the first time in years!" he added while crying happily.

The campers cheered the loudest than they ever did and if it wasn't for the barrier, New York would've heard. They came up together, hugging their siblings or friends, throwing their weapons down and dancing happily. The entire camp went insane with happiness.

Markus was grinning at the campers celebrating, the happiness contagious. Before he could do anything, he was promptly glomped by a couple of blurs. The force of it knocked him on his back. When he saw who it was that tackled him, he grinned at seeing Silena, Thalia, Katie and Annabeth had hugged him. He tried to hug all of them, but couldn't. So decided on enjoying the hugs. Ah, it was good to be him.

Meanwhile, the remaining Hunters that are conscious or was just getting up were in shock and disbelief. They just lost Capture the Flag for the first time in years. They found a few knocked out, muttering words that didn't make sense. A couple were crying. Some in traps or hung from trees. Two of them were buried with their head in the surface. And many of them smelled like shit, rotten eggs or covered in mounds of dust.

As Markus was enjoying the remnants of his group hug (Annabeth had gotten off of him, while Katie, Thalia and Silena had stayed), he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten something. That became clear to him when Zoe yelled out, "Release me at once!"

Markus and the girls looked at the suspended Hunter, who looked frustrated. A couple of Hunters had tried to pull her down, but she kept dangling.

"You think she'd make a nice ornament?" he asked the girls, who had now gotten off of him.

"Yes." "Definitely." Silena and Thalia chorused simultaneously. It was definitely _not_ because they were biased. Not at all... okay, maybe a lot.

Katie hummed. "I'm not sure..."

"You could hang her in Cabin Four and cover her with lots of greenery. Probably a couple of plants and Venus flytraps," Silena suggested helpfully.

Katie's eyes lit up. "That's a wonderful idea!"

"I am not thine ornament! Thine will release me, now!" Zoe demanded, somewhat petulantly.

"Say please," Markus offered. "After all, I would think a lady such as yourself-" Thalia and Silena snorted at that "-would have proper manners."

Zoe growled, her face turning red. That might actually be due to the blood going all the way to her head.

"I'm waiting~" Markus called out in a sing-song voice.

Zoe snarled, but couldn't do anything else. "Please, let me down!" she bit out.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Markus mocked, waving his hand. Zoe was free from the spell, and ended up crashing onto the ground. She managed to manoeuvre herself so that she landed on her side rather than her head.

Picking herself up, she glared at Markus, who was whistling innocently to himself. Before anything could happen, everyone heard someone gasp.

Someone… something was approaching. It was shrouded in a murky green mist, but as it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped.

"This is impossible," Chiron said. Markus looked towards the man at that, never hearing him sound so nervous. "It… she has never left the attic. Never."

And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the center of the group. Mist curled around our feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green. If possible, she was looking at both Zoe and Markus. Looking at each other, they separated a bit to see who she was looking at.

None of the other campers dared move. Then her voice hissed inside both of their heads. Apparently everyone could hear it, because several clutched their hands over the ears.

 _I am the spirit of Delphi,_ the voice said. _Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python_.

The Oracle regarded Percy with its cold, dead eyes. Then she looked at Markus, and her gaze lasted longer. Markus just raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was doing that. Then she turned unmistakeably towards Zoe.

 _Approach, seeker, and ask._

Zoe looked nervous at that, but stepped forward. "What is my destiny?"

The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. They all saw the vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker, and it looked like she was in pain. Huh, she seemed to heal from Markus' ass-beating from before. The Oracle spoke:

 _Six shall go west to the goddess in chains,_

 _One shall be lost in the land without rain,_

 _The bane of Olympus shows the trail,_

 _Teamwork of Campers and Hunters combined prevail,_

 _The Titan's curse must one withstand,_

 _And one shall perish by a parent's hand._

 _Champion of storms must follow the burning trail,_

 _And face the one free from the frozen jail._

Then, as the whole camp was watching, the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she'd been in the attic, as if she might sit by this creek for a hundred years.

 **XXX**

The council was held around a Ping-Pong table in the rec room. Dionysus waved his hand and supplied snacks: Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine.

Markus made to reach for the wine, but his hand was slapped at by Silena.

"What the hell was that for?!" Markus frowned at his girlfriend.

Silena shook her head, a stern look on her face. "No. No wine for you."

"But come on! Just a little sip?"

"No! You're underage!"

"Bullshit! I'm... uh..." Markus mentally calculated his age. "Eighteen."

"No, you're not," Silena denied, shaking her head. "You're fifteen. Your birthday was in August, remember?"

"Wait, you're fifteen?" Charles asked, shocked. The others looked shocked at this as well.

Markus pouted at being caught. "Yeah. Why?"

"Dude, you look like you're nineteen," Connor pointed out. "How the Hades do you look so much older than you actually are?"

Markus shrugged, grinning. "Puberty has been very nice to me."

Unknown to everyone, every girl bar Zoe mentally agreed with that statement.

Then Chiron reminded Mr. D that wine was against his restrictions and most of kids were underage. Mr. D sighed. With a snap of his fingers the wine turned to Diet Coke. Nobody drank that either.

Mr. D and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoe took the other end. Thalia, Grover, Percy, and Markus (co-captains) sat along the right, and the other head counsellors - Beck, Silena, Katie, Annabeth and the Stoll brothers - sat on the left. For the Ares and Hestia cabins, Mark and Alabaster stood opposite to the rest.

Zoe started the meeting off on a positive note. "This is pointless."

"Cheez Whiz!" Grover gasped. He began scooping up crackers and Ping-Pong balls and spraying them with topping. Markus and a couple of campers snickered at that.

"There is no time for talk," Zoe continued. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" Chiron asked.

"West, obviously," Zoe responded. "Artemis is being held hostage. We must find and free her!"

"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. "' _Campers and Hunters combined prevail_ _.'_ We're supposed to do this together."

"No!" Zoe denied. "We do not need anybody else! The Hunters shall go alone!"

"Have fun dying, then," Markus quipped, getting Zoe to glare at him. "What? It's true. Not heeding a prophecy is a quick way to get killed. So go ahead. Be stupid and fail. Not our fault if you can't rescue your precious goddess."

"Silence, you-" Zoe was about to say, but clamped her mouth shut as Markus glared at her.

"I'm not sure you remembered the last time you annoyed me," Markus said silently. "Need I remind you?"

The Hunter didn't say anything, which satisfied him.

"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."

"Or do they?"Mr. D mused, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it had a fine bouquet. "' _One shall be lost, one shall perish_ '. . That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail _because_ you try to cooperate? And this 'Champion of storms'? Who is this champion? A champion of Zeus?"

Markus breathed in deeply. He knew that the prophecy was referring to him. How the Oracle knew of his connection to Susanoo, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was going to be involved in this quest, he was going to follow a burning trail, and fight someone that broke free from a frozen jail. His mind tried breaking down the lines. Burning trail. Did that mean he was literally going to follow a trail of fire? Or something more symbolic? Was 'burning' to do with burning corpses? Were the quest members going to die and be burnt to death? If that were the case, then he was definitely going on the quest. Or something else?

Frozen jail? The only frozen jail that he could even remotely think of was Cocytus, the frozen lake/river in the Underworld. But that was a prison for traitors. Was he going to face a traitor or sinner? But why would that have any significance to the prophecy if it was just a sinner? Unless it was someone powerful. But his mind was drawing a blank as to who it could be. Or was it not Cocytus? Maybe a literal frozen or icy jail. But who? So many possibilities. So many-

"What about you, _boy_?" Dionysus asked, rounding to look at Markus. The god's words snapped him out of his thoughts. "You seem deep in thought. Any light to shine onto this mysterious 'champion'?"

Now everyone was looking at Markus, wondering what he knew.

Markus clenched his jaw tightly at being put on the spot. "You choose now of all times to use your brain properly? I'm shocked. What, being sober actually a good thing for you?"

Mr. D purpled. "You damn bra-"

Suddenly, the room dropped several hundred degrees. Ice started to coat the ping-pong table, freezing the Diet Coke and Cheez Whiz and crackers. Everyone shivered at the sudden coldness that was instantly produced. The cause?

Markus just looked at the god, and suddenly an image started to form behind him. Something that made Dionysus almost shit his pants in fright and the others to recoil in horror at.

A familiar creature was behind Markus. Twelve pairs of identical sea-green eyes shone from the heads of twelve dragon heads. Looking at it, everyone felt like their were getting sucked into a black hole, the cold adding to the effect.

Mr. D was receiving the worst of it. He was almost rendered catatonic at seeing the familiar, frightening _thing_ that haunted his dreams and thoughts at almost every single moment. He dropped his Diet Coke and promptly vanished in a breeze, the air smelling of fresh-pressed grapes.

At seeing the cowardly god flee, Markus recalled the cold, ice and aura that he produced. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the dragon and cold disappear, but the memory was still burned in their minds. It was almost bad as the demonic spectre. Suddenly everyone was reminded of how frightening Markus was, and reminded themselves not to piss him off.

The son of Poseidon breathed out sharply through his nose. "Let's get back on track. Zoe." The Hunter hesitantly turned to look at him. Markus tried his best not to smirk at the display. "As our resident god has said, I do know of this 'champion'. Which is me. The title comes from my heritage as a son of the Stormbringer. Something Poseidon went over with me," he lied without missing a beat. No way was he revealing the secret of other pantheons. "As such, I'm involved in this quest. Do you have any problem with me tagging along with you?"

Markus looked at the girl, mentally daring her to say no.

Zoe gulped, the previous display of power still fresh on her mind. "N-no." She cursed herself for stuttering. "Thou can accompany me on the quest."

Markus smiled coldly. "See? Now was that so hard?"

"... Remind me to never piss him off again," Connor told his brother, who nodded in agreement.

"Agreed," Travis nodded quickly.

"We must not delay," Chiron warned, trying to get the mood to what it was before. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."

"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoe said. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."

Markus silently growled to himself. Now he wasn't feeling so eager to go on the quest. On the last two quests, he at least had a valid and personal reason to go. For his first quest, his jackass of an uncle was getting pissy and was accusing him of stealing his nightlight. For his second quest, he had to recover the Golden Fleece to save the camp.

Now, he was being sent to rescue a goddess. The only goddesses that he actually acknowledged or liked was Hestia (favourite aunt), Hecate (his boss, who he had to contact) and Iris (who did all of the Iris-messages). Every other goddess he didn't give a damn about. He wasn't really fond of the gods. And he was saving one that he personally defeated and somewhat hated. Huh, now he kind of felt how Luke did.

He was absolutely sick of dealing with the Olympians, save his father, and being their fucking errand boy. Second quest aside, he didn't want to go running around and cleaning up their messes. If Artemis got kidnapped, then she could rescue herself. Why the fuck did demigods have to deal with this bullshit?! The only reason he was even bothering to partake in the farce was because of the risk of leaving his friends alone on the quest.

"I must agree with Zoe," said Chiron. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest. Markus is already going, along with Zoe."

"Three and three? Three Hunters and three campers?" Percy suggested. "Seems fair."

Thalia and Zoe exchanged looks.

"Well," Thalia said. "It does make sense."

Zoe grunted. "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers."

Markus snorted. "Fuck no. I would end up killing all of them before we even departed. Hell, they'd be even more annoying than any monster."

Zoe glared at him, but didn't say anything.

"You'll be retracing the goddess's path," Chiron reminded her. "Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: The bane of Olympus shows the trail. What would your mistress say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' A small group is best."

Zoe picked up a ping-pong paddle and studied it like she was deciding who she wanted to whack first. "This monster - the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."

"Chiron," Percy said, "you don't have any ideas about the monster?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Your father, Poseidon, would already have sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."

"That's some serious danger you're facing," Connor Stoll said. "It sounds like at least two of the six are going to die."

"One shall be lost in the land without rain," Beckendorf said. "If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert."

There was a muttering of agreement.

"And the Titan's curse must one withstand," Silena said. "What could that mean?"

"Could be one of two things," Markus spoke. "One: Prometheus' curse. He was chained to a rock and got his liver eaten by an eagle sent by Zeus. But he was feed by Heracles, so that's a moot point. Although considering that Artemis seemed to be in pain, it can be a factor. Another factor is the punishment or curse of Atlas, the Titan of Endurance. He was punished with holding up the sky." At the word 'Atlas', Markus saw Zoe flinch. Markus filed that away for later. "Artemis could be holding up the sky. Of those two choices, both of them seem to be likely, though I'm leaning towards the latter."

"An excellent deduction, Markus," Chiron complimented. "And the deal with Atlas seems the more likely scenario."

"One shall perish by a parent's hand," Grover said in between bites of Cheez Whiz and Ping-Pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"

"Think of who we're facing, G-man," Markus told the satyr. That got Grover to agree.

There was heavy silence around the table.

Percy glanced at Thalia and Markus and wondered if they were thinking the same thing he was. Years ago, Chiron had had a prophecy about the next child of the Big Three - Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades - who turned sixteen. Supposedly, that kid would make a decision that would save or destroy the gods forever. Because of that, the Big Three had taken an oath after World War II not to have any more kids. But Thalia, Markus and Percy had been born anyway, and now they were getting close to sixteen. Thalia was the most likely candidate.

"There will be deaths," Chiron decided. "That much we know."

"But who will it be?" Annabeth asked the question that was on almost everyone's minds.

No one spoke for a minute.

Eventually, Silena broke the silence. "I think we all agree that three campers and Hunters should go on the quest."

"Oh, I see," Zoe said sarcastically. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"

"And if I do?" Silena responded coolly. She narrowed her eyes. "Is that a problem, _Hunter?"_

Zoe scoffed. "Actually, yes. You'll just be a burden. What can a child of Aphrodite do-"

"Slap yourself," Silena ordered, charmspeak laden in her voice. Zoe responded to the command with almost no resistance. She looked shocked, her cheek stinging. "W-Wha-"

"Do _not_ underestimate me," Silena told her, glaring at the shocked Hunter. "Just because I am the daughter of Aphrodite, it does not mean that I'm useless. I could make you fall in love with a goat. Or make you break your vow as a Hunter. And you will have no control over yourself. Piss me off, and I will make all of that happen. I promise you that."

Zoe, along with some campers, had horrified expressions on their faces. Markus, Katie, Thalia, Percy and Annabeth had proud looks on their faces for their friend. They knew that Silena had grown not just physically, but also in terms of her attitude. Before, she wouldn't have been able to stand up for herself in some cases. Now, she was able to handle herself very well.

"Please, stop this," Chiron pleaded. hoping to get the room to its previous mood. "Fighting among ourselves will yield no results." Almost everyone scoffed at that, but Chiron continued. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?" Charles suggested.

Ignoring the evil looks she was receiving from many of the campers, Zoe stuttered a little before answering. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."

"The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis asked cautiously.

Zoe nodded.

"Oh, okay," Travis said. "Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store." He held up a big silver T-shirt that said ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002, with a huge list of national parks and stuff underneath. "It's a collector's item. She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?"

Zoe just sighed and took the T-shirt. "As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. And Adria. She is an excellent healer."

Markus discretely looked at the T-shirt, catching a whiff of... blood? Why was there blood on the T-shirt? Markus shrugged, filing it away for later.

"And for campers?" Chiron asked. He eyed Percy for a moment, but said nothing more. Percy did see this and wondered what was going through the man's mind.

"Me!" Grover stood up so fast he bumped the ping-pong table. He brushed cracker crumbs and Ping-Pong ball scraps off his lap. "Anything to help Artemis!"

Zoe wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. Thou are not even a half-blood."

"But he _is_ a camper," Thalia said. "And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"

"Absolutely!"

Zoe wavered. "Very well," Zoe said. "And the third camper?"

"I'll go." Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her. Markus looked to see if anyone else wanted to volunteer, but there wasn't. Silena looked occupied by something, which made Markus worry. Katie seemed to be fine. It was Annabeth that seemed the most annoyed. Guess she wanted to go on the quest as well.

"And me," Markus said.

"Whoa, wait a sec," Percy said, feeling left out. "I want to go too." Markus blinked while Thalia looked nervous at that. They didn't know what to say while Chiron's eyes still studied the boy, his eyes sad.

"Oh," Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. "Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn't mean… I'll stay. Percy should go in my place."

"He cannot," Zoe said. "He is a boy. I won't have Hunters traveling with another boy."

"It doesn't matter what you or your Hunters want," Markus piped in. "I don't see why you are so against him coming. And so help me, if you say it's because he's a boy, I will freeze you solid and shatter you."

Zoe's mouth closed so fast that she almost bit her tongue.

Chiron sighed. "The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions." Percy just looked on in disbelief. "But Chiron, that doesn't mean anything!" he insisted. "Just because they don't like me doesn't mean that I can't go! You know how strong I've gotten. I can handle this!"

"I know, my boy," Chiron agreed. "But that doesn't mean that I can allow you. Not because I question your skills or bravery. But it's dangerous having all the children of the Big Three on one quest. Kronos could kidnap one of you and use you to sway the prophecy in his favour."

"But-" Percy made to interrupt, but was stopped. He suddenly couldn't move his body. It didn't obey his command. He couldn't speak! What was-

Percy's head was forced to move by an unseen force, towards his brother. Markus didn't say anything, just mouthed 'Later'.

Now knowing that it was him, Percy nodded slowly.

"So be it," Chiron said as he wrapped the meeting. "Thalia, Markus, and Grover will accompany Zoe, Adria, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods be with you."

 **XXX**

Markus told the others that he needed to do something. That something involved dragging Percy to Cabin Three for a quick chat.

"I know that you want to go on this quest because of me, Grover and Thalia," Markus spoke instantly, shocking Percy as to how he knew. "I also know that your loyalty - which is your fatal flaw - is partially motivating you."

"How - wait, how did you know of my fatal flaw?" Percy asked. He knew the topic of fatal flaws. Markus discussed it with him once upon a time. He said that they were mental weaknesses that all mortals, gods and demigods possessed. Markus even told him his own fatal flaw. Or flaws. Anger and greed. Looking back on it, he could see why those were his fatal flaws. Anger was obvious, while greed was something Percy had already known of his brother by being near him.

Markus scoffed. "You seriously think that I wouldn't know your fatal flaw? Come on, baby brother. You wound me."

"I will gut you if you say that stupid nickname again. Just one more time."

How about Blue Boy, then?" At Percy's growl, Markus chuckled. "Alright, alright."

Then Markus schooled his features. "But seriously. I get why you want to go. And I'm not against it. In fact, I encourage it. But be smart about it. I can tell that the Stolls are planning to prank Phoebe, which could result in her not going. Sneak past Chiron and try to get out of camp."

Percy went through all of that in his head, and grinned. "Got ya."

"Good," Markus nodded, patting him on his back. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to make a couple of calls."

With that, he sped out of the cabin. Standing at the porch, he disappeared in a cloud of vapour.

 **XXX**

 _Underworld_

Markus had vapour-travelled directly to Hades' throne room in the Underworld. He was able to catch a conversation between Hades and two familiar kids.

The conversation was stopped when Hades noticed his presence. "Nephew," he greeted with disdain.

"Uncle Corpsebride," Markus nodded with as much seriousness as he could muster.

The di Angelo kids' jaws hung open at what Markus had called their father. Hades snarled, shadows billowing off his form and the ghouls of his robes wailing. "What did you say?" he snarled.

Markus sighed. "Look, let's not get into this act. I've had to deal with this song and dance with other Olympians, and it didn't end well for them. Hermes was the only cool god. Anyway, I didn't come to annoy you, actually. I came to check up on the kids."

"And why is that?" Hades spoke, glowering.

"Ever hear of doing things out of the goodness of your heart?"

At Hades' deadpanned look, Markus nodded in remembrance. "Right, you don't have a heart. Forgot about that."

"Your pitiful grudge against me is pathetic," Hades noted.

"Says the one who sent a horde of monsters after Thalia when she did nothing wrong, along with kidnapping Percy's mother and bargaining with my mum's dead soul because you lost your night cap."

Hades actually contemplated whether he should kill the half-blood before him. It would save so much trouble. "You are honestly the most annoying and vexing half-blood that I have ever encountered. I'm actually looking forward to your death the most out of every soul that has entered this realm."

"Aw, uncle. You _do_ care for me. How sweet. Anyways, Bianca, Nico. How are you guys?"

"F-Fine," Bianca said, blushing a bit. Whether it was due to Markus' physical attributes, or hero worship, he wasn't sure.

"Hey, you're that guy from before! We met in that casino place! You're so cool!" Nico exclaimed, stars in his eyes.

"Really?" Markus asked, smiling. Nice to know that his awesomeness was appreciated.

"Yeah! Against those monsters, you teleported. Then BOOM! They're all dead! Can you teach me how to do that? Can you?! Can you?!" Nico practically jumped with excitement. Literally.

"Nico, calm down!" Bianca admonished. This made her brother pout, but still looked to Markus expectantly.

He chuckled. "It's okay." He walked forward. "And I can teach you when you're older. Don't want your sister killing me for trying to teach you how to be awesome."

"Really?!" Nico asked, grinning.

"Really," Markus nodded. He looked to Bianca. "Hey, Bianca. How's Nico been treating you? More importantly, how's the Underworld? I know that it's a dull place."

Hades grumbled, which made Bianca squirm a little. "It's, uh, okay. We got used to the idea of our dad being a god, along with gods and monsters existing."

"Let me guess, Nico was jumping with joy and acting like he was the king of the world when he found out that Hades was his father?" Markus guessed, amused.

At Nico's blush and Bianca's laugh, he knew that had his answer.

"Hey, you're the son of Poseidon, right?" Nico asked.

"Yep."

"So does that mean you can use water? Like, can you make a giant wave and sink ships and islands and all of that? Can you talk to fish? Wait, does that mean we're cousins?" Nico's rush of questions came blurting out of his mouth.

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes," Markus answered, grinning. "I can also do magic."

"Magic?!" Nico shouted in excitement. Bianca's eyes were wide in shock.

Markus turned to look at the Lord of the Underworld. He was looking at the kids with something akin to happiness and joy. Which was shocking, since Markus was used to the doom-and-gloom mood. Guess Hades did care for his kids, after all.

He then looked to the kids. "Yeah. Wanna see?"

And so Markus performed several magic tricks for the di Angelo kids. From transfiguring rocks into animals, or a handkerchief into a dove, or even several light shows that easily awed Nico and impressed Bianca. He also showed off a little by making a couple of speed clones. Nico told him that he was the coolest person ever, which made Markus get a boost in his already large ego.

He then sent the speed clones out on a race across the Underworld with the children of Hades on their backs. As soon as he said go, Nico was hollering and shouting as the clones ran.

With them gone, Markus looked to Hades. "Are you going to send them to Camp Half-Blood?"

"No," Hades answered, frowning. "I do not trust my brothers. No doubt Zeus would strike them down the moment they stepped foot in that place. Not to mention that they would likely be discriminated against due to my... less than stellar actions."

"That's true," Markus nodded, surprising Hades. At seeing this, the son of Poseidon scoffed. "It's not that surprising. I have no love for Zeus or most of Olympus save for a few. And while I love Camp Half-Blood, I'm willing to admit that the campers have faults."

"It's surprising that a child of an Olympian would have no love for the place," Hades noted. "Then again, most feel the same way."

"I don't hate Olympus, just the gods," Markus corrected. "They're unbearably arrogant, proud and annoying. Zeus is the worst. He's egotistical, arrogant, and a fucking dumbass at almost every point."

Hades threw his head back and laughed loudly. "You know, I'm actually starting to like you, boy. Finally, someone who see the Olympians for who they are. But what are you going to do about the prophecy? Assuming that you know of it?"

"I do," Markus said. "As for the prophecy, I don't know. I have no love for the Olympians, and I can freely admit that I'm selfish enough not to give a damn about the rest of the world. However, they're the lesser of two evils, since the Titans are just as bad, if not worse. And Thalia is the more likely candidate for the prophecy but I refuse to allow her to go through with it. Push comes to shove, I can either take her place or go against the prophecy. I already have countermeasures set specifically for the prophecy. And I don't planning on dying. At all."

"And if the Olympians foolishly kill you before all of that can happen?" Hades asked, curious.

Markus scoffed. "Oh, I have a plan for that."

"Which is?"

"Not telling. Can't give up my ace in the hole yet."

Hades smiled. " If you weren't the son of my brother, I'd actually be glad to be your father."

"I don't know how to react to that," Markus said after a moment. "So I'll just ask another question: how old are the kids?"

"What kind of question is-" Hades started to say, but Markus cut him off.

"Don't bullshit me. I know that time runs differently in the Lotus Casino. Physically, they may look like kids, but chronologically, they're a lot older. Will that affect their position for the prophecy?"

"Unlikely," Hades answered. "While they're true age is past sixteen, their physically too young."

"Good," Markus nodded. "I like the kids. Don't want to burden them with the prophecy. Another thing, do you actually plan to keep them here for the rest of their lives with the Ancient Laws in place?"

Hades didn't say anything for a moment. Then he answered, "I don't know. The Ancient Laws play against me, that's true. But I have nowhere else for them to go."

"They can live in my apartment in the mortal world," Markus offered. "I can ward the place and lock it so tight that no god could find or sense them."

Before Hades could say anything, the clones came back with Nico and Bianca. "So you actually beat Hermes in a race?" Nico asked excitedly.

"Yep," the clone answered. "Then I knocked him out. Along with a bunch of other stuff."

"While this is amusing," Hades announced. "I believe that Markus was leaving." He looked intently at the demigod, making Markus nod a bit reluctantly.

"Aw," Nico pouted while Bianca did look a little down.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I can come anytime I want, so I can see again soon," Markus offered, making Nico bright up again.

"Cool!" he yelled out.

"You meet Cerby?" Markus asked his clones, who nodded. "Good."

Both clones dispersed. Markus ruffled Nico's hair and promised to play again, while Bianca did something shocking. She went onto the tip of her toes and kissed Markus softly on the cheek.

"Think of it as a thanks for helping me with Nico and saving us," Bianca said, a little shyly.

Markus smiled, nodding and wishing her goodbye. Greetings done, he vapour-travelled out of the Underworld.

 **XXX**

As Markus slept, he decided to contact Hecate. How did he do that? A little skill called Essence Projection. This was essentially him projecting his divine essence as a sort of dream state rather than his normal state. He figured that this was how gods usually contacted demigods through dreams.

However, while the skill was very useful, it mainly worked when he was sleeping. So he was rather limited in using Essence Projection. Also, he couldn't use any of his powers or magic. He couldn't even punch something. Still, Markus was happy with the benefits.

As Markus' essence swept across the mortal plane, he tried spreading his senses, locating where the goddess of magic was. Eventually, he found her. Hecate was simply sitting in a cave - which was seriously getting old. Did she have to fit into the whole theme of being a witch - looking over a scroll of text. She was wearing regular jeans and a red flannel T-shirt, so at least she was dressing normally. She had her pet weasel, Gale, screeched and passed loudly passed gas.

"I see that the little shit hasn't changed," Markus announced, his astral form projecting itself to the goddess and her pet.

Gale hissed while Hecate didn't look surprised. "Markus Henderson. So you finally show yourself to me, after all this time." She still didn't look up from her text.

Markus looked at his... was she still technically his boss, since he was the champion of Susanoo? Meh, food for thought later.

"Hecate. It's been a while," Markus greeted. "I'll just clear the air between us: I'm sorry for acting like an ass towards you."

Hecate finally looked up from her text. "Do you think a simple apology will smooth things over between us?" There was no anger in her tone. Just simple curiosity.

Markus' shoulders sagged. "No. Look, I understand that you were angry at me for letting my greed control me, but I still stand by I said before."

Hecate looked at him. Well, astral him. "When I warned you of your greed controlling you, I was so sure that you would foolishly kill yourself in a pathetic attempt at power. And yet here you stand, already knowledgeable on astral-projection and infinitely more powerful than when I last saw you." Hecate had a slight bitter sweet smile. "Looks like I was wrong."

"Maybe so, but it doesn't change the fact that I blew you off when you were just looking out for me. I was headstrong at the time. Can we just forget about the whole thing? I miss the stingy, annoying boss that bugged me with her little requests."

"Well, you were unbearable at times," Hecate mumbled, making Markus laugh loudly.

"That I'm willing to agree with you on," Markus replied. The cave was silent as the two didn't say anything for a while, comfortable with the silence.

Then Hecate spoke. "Where we you all this time? Shortly after dealing with Zerith, I felt you disappear, straight off of my scope."

Markus decided to give a little half-lie. "I was in Japan for a while, studying some Shinto magic."

"Is that why I can sense the power of a foreign god?" At Markus' slightly shocked face, Hecate elaborated. "I never miss such details. Even if you are in your astral form, that doesn't mean that I can't sense your power. It is massive, an ocean compared to the small lake that your power was. I presume that this god has made you his or her champion?"

"Yes." No use lying to her anymore. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not your disciple. It's mainly thanks to you that I'm where I'm at. I'll always be grateful towards you, Hecate. You're the one who protected me when my mother died. I'll never forgot that. Plus... you're the last link to my mother." The last part was said with a small whisper, but the goddess heard.

Hecate smiled lightly. "If your mother were here, I can tell that she'd be proud of you."

"You really think so?" Markus asked. He wanted to know the answer, as his mother's act of saving him and herself were very important and were held dear to his heart.

"I know so," the goddess answered, smiling.

Markus smiled, feeling happiness swell in his chest. "That's good."

"Make me proud, Markus Henderson. I'm putting my faith in you that you can succeed in life and surpass the potential your mother had. Don't let me down."

"I won't. I swear on the Styx." Even if he was in his astral form, the sky boomed, signifying the oath.

Markus' essence retreated back to his sleeping form, leaving the goddess to her own devices.

 **XXX**

Markus awoke in Cabin Three next morning, fully refreshed and ready for his quest. He looked at Percy's bed and saw that he wasn't there. Good, that meant that he followed what he'd said.

Markus got prepared. His weapons were all in his personal pocket dimension. So he stashed large amounts of food from the mess hall into a sealing scroll. He opened up another sealing scroll that contained fresh clothes and weaponry for himself. His trench coat, a black T-shirt with a gold omega symbol on the front, an armoured vest underneath that was coated with celestial bronze, combat boots and a couple of mortal steel bullets.

When he was finished, he strapped Yamato to his hip, for safety sake. Finished, he walked out of his cabin.

Before he met at the entrance of Camp Half-Blood, he made to visit someone. Walking towards the centre of camp, he smiled as he saw the familiar goddess attending the hearth.

Grinning with glee, he quickly walked forward and hugged her. "Auntie Hestia!" Markus exclaimed, glad to see her. She was one of the people that he had missed dearly through his training.

Hestia smiled, now in the form of a woman this time. She looked radiant, stronger than the last time Markus had seen her. "Hello, Markus. I have missed you. How has my favourite nephew been?"

"... I'm your favourite?" Markus asked, grinning. Hestia only smiled knowingly.

"So I see you are going on a quest," Hestia said, noticing his attire.

Markus' grin fell from his face. "Yeah. Apparently, I'm saving Artemis, who I don't like."

"I can tell," Hestia said. "I heard about your encounter with her. Zeus was furious."

"When is he not?" Markus scoffed. Hestia chuckled.

"That's true. But I wasn't exactly happy to see her in the state she was in. I do care for her greatly, as she is one of the few who visit me."

"Well, she was asking for it," Markus huffed. Only to yelp as he was bopped on the head. "Ow!"

"Now, now, there's no need to be rude, young man," Hestia admonished. "I understand that Artemis is difficult to deal with, but there's no need to act bratty. I get that enough from Zeus."

"Yeah, yeah," Markus waved off. Hestia narrowed her eyes, and pulled on his ear.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Auntie, stop!" Markus whined.

"I certainly will not, mister. You go away for two months and - when did you get your ears pierced?"

"Uh... I... uh... bye, Auntie!" Markus phased out of her grip and dashed away. Though not before reappearing again and hugging her tightly. In response to this, Hestia gave him a tender kiss on his forehead.

Grinning at her, he dashed away again. If he had looked back, he would've seen the longing and contemplative looks that Hestia had on her face.

Once he was at the entrance of camp, he raised an eyebrow at the sight. Chiron seemed to be trying to calm down a very pissed off Zoe. "What's up? he asked as he only saw Zoe, Thalia, Grover, and Adria, who was glaring at him. Oh, joy.

"Phoebe won't be coming because that shirt those _boys_ gave her was rigged with centaur blood!" Zoe growled.

"... Not really feeling all that bad," Markus admitted after thinking about it. Hell, he already knew about it.

Adria scoffed. "It's likely that you are conspiring with the foolish boys, male."

Markus just looked at the girl. Just looked at her. And her leg snapped.

Adria howled as she clutched her broken leg, which caused her to fall to the ground. Everyone looked in shock at what had happened. They turned to Markus, who had a blank look on his face.

"I am not in the mood for your shit, girlie," Markus said simply. "So I'm going to say this once." He raised her arm up, which had the brand BITCH on it. Like every other Hunter bar two had. "I have a very short temper. I already spared all of you useless bitches twice, and I'm already pushing it this one time. Open your mouth for anything useless on this quest, and I'll kill you. No questions asked."

"You can't-" She started to say, but Markus just made her other leg snap. She screamed louder this time.

"No questions asked," he repeated coldly. Adria could do nothing but nod, blinking back tears.

"Markus, that wasn't-" Chiron started to say, but Markus interrupted him. "No, Chiron. If the Hunters are going to ruin the mission because they got stupid, then I'm not pulling any punches."

To Adria and Zoe, he addressed the issue immediately. "I'm pretty sure you saw what I did to your goddess. That was me being bored. You do not want to see me annoyed. I'm willing to work with both of you if can keep a lid on your mouth and actions towards me and possibly Grover. If you don't, I'll kill you and end up killing Artemis in retaliation. Am I clear?"

Both of them nodded quickly.

Markus smiled widely, startling them. "Good! Now, let's hit the road."

"Wait," Chiron said. "You all are short one member. Maybe I should get Percy. He did want to volunteer for this quest."

"Oh, don't worry about him. He'll come around," Markus simply said, confusing the others. But they waved it off in favour of going on the quest.

As they left, several campers - like Silena, Katie and Annabeth - came to wish them off. And so, the questers were off.

 **And finished. Been a while since I did a lengthy chapter.**

 **Lots of stuff occurred. Campers winning Capture the Flag for the first time, the Oracle issuing the prophecy, Markus meeting the di Angelo kids and Hecate, and finally starting the quest.**

 **For the prophecy, the last two bits will play a big part in the quest. I won't spoil it, but I'll just say that 'the one free from the frozen jail' won't be Greek. That's all.**

 **So Markus has a plan to deal with the Olympians and the prophecy. The first part won't come into play until the end of the quest and they all go to Olympus. Hopefully, by then, y'all find it unique. As for the prophecy, I don't need to tell you that it will play out much differently than in canon.**

 **Now, what else, what else? Hmm... oh, yeah. Review answers. For all the guest reviews, I'll do it in order:**

 **1) Sorry the game didn't play out quite like you imagined. Instead of dementors, zombies, xenomorphs, etc., I went with the classics. Slendy and Jig Saw weren't the only horrors that the Hunters faced during CTF. I just didn't include them because it would play out the same way as with the mentioned two paragons of fear did. Hope you liked it.**

 **2) Titan's Curse will play out with more mythological enemies, namely some demons, facing a god, and a couple of monsters. That's all I'll say, really. Don't want to spoil the whole thing.**

 **3) Markus destroying Tartarus? Hmmm, that'll be both exciting to write but also a bit... impossible for him. Markus is OP, true. And will continue to grow OP. But Tartarus is a powerful primordial, so him being destroyed is a bit unrealistic. I can make Markus that OP, so it won't be a problem. But we'll see. Could make him the Champion of Tartarus. The pit, not the primordial. And he could gain the title by literally destroying all the monsters and Titans along with matching Tartarus.**

 **4) Adventures with the Norse pantheon? Already on that. Maybe not directly interfere with Magnus Chase canon - i.e. doing the quest for him and the others - but do expect ass-kicking of giants, gods and monsters. Looking at Fenris and Jormungand there.**

 **5) Markus'll find a challenge outside of the Greek pantheon. Since nothing short of Gaia and Tartarus (and possibly Kronos at full power, maybe) can really stand in his way. and by the time this story reaches TLO and HOO, he'll be much stronger than now.**

 **6) Power armour? Good idea, but he doesn't really need armour, since he can phase through objects and heal with water. But I do have an idea for power armour, so thanks for the idea.**

 **7) While I do like your idea, I actually don't know much about Warhammer 40k. Like at all. Not to say I won't consider your idea, just seeing I'll need to catch up on it. Thanks for the idea, though.**

 **8) Going to space? Well that sounds stupid-... -ly awesome! Seriously, I didn't think of expanding the story by that much! You sir (or madam) are a genius! Markus fathering a few pantheons? That'll seem like a whole cluster-fuck for him. Which would be funny. I can think about that, along with visiting other planets, which could be a definite. I'm serious, the ideas help a lot, so thank you very much.**

 **9) I would so like to do Jojo's "za world" time stop trick. Just found out about the series and currently watching it, and am steadily being convinced.**

 **Well, with that lengthy review-discussion, I'd like to say bye to y'all. Enjoy the story, review, follow, favourite, do a manner of different things. Stay in school, eat healthy shit and- I just realised that I'm rambling. While typing. And I should stop. Like, now. Nooooooooooow - Okay done.**

 **Read and Review!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41:**

"I'm so bored," Markus droned with a sigh as he sat beside Thalia and Grover in the van. Apparently, Zoe was the one driving the van while Adria sat beside Grover, doing her damnedest to not glare at Markus.

Only Thalia and Grover were a little shaken due to Zoe's crazy driving. Markus wasn't bothered, staying in the same place that he sat in. Which confused the others who watched. Several cars swerved out of the way to avoid the black van. A police car had chased them due to Zoe's driving skills, or lack there of. Thankfully, she managed to shake them off by performing crazy manoeuvres - well, more crazy - and destroying bits and pieces of public property and other stuff. Namely a fire hydrant, hot dog carts, etc. Markus found it cool for the first half an hour, then it got boring.

"How can you be bored?" Thalia asked incredulously. "And how are you not affected by all the crazy movements caused by Zoe's shitty driving?"

Markus snickered while Zoe and Adria glared at Thalia at that tidbit. "I can move at much faster speeds at this," Markus answered simply. "Hell, I can jog faster than this."

"I've been meaning to ask," Grover said. "How do you have super speed? Did Hermes bless you or something?"

Markus scoffed. "Like that slowpoke had anything to do with my speed. No, it's speed magic."

All of the occupants in the van blinked and processed what he said. "Did you call Hermes, the god of speed, a slowpoke?" Thalia asked slowly, trying to process what her boyfriend had just said.

"Yeah. And he is. I beat the guy in a race."

Zoe almost hit a car from her shock while the others stared at him, even Adria.

"D-Did you just say that you raced Hermes to a race, a-and won?" Grover bleated, shocked.

Markus nodded. "Yep."

"H-How... I-I don't even..." Zoe muttered in shock, trying to get her hands steady to kill- ahem, _drive_ the others to Artemis. They all wanted to call his bluff, but by his expression and tone, they knew he wasn't lying.

"T-That's impossible. How can you be faster than the god of speed?" Adria asked, stumped. While she knew that Markus was powerful and dangerous, this was just shocking. How can a demigod be better than a god in terms of their own domain?

Markus shrugged. "Because I am."

"I - Th-That doesn't - Urggh!" Adria's words eventually led to a long groan as she tried to come up with a solution to what he said.

"I think I broke your Hunter," Markus told Zoe.

"... Yes. Yes you have," Zoe said simply, not even sure what to say anymore. Suddenly, the van was slowing down.

"Hey, what gives?" Thalia asked Zoe.

"I don't know. I'm still pressing the pedal," Zoe answered, annoyed.

"Probably the gas being low," Markus said. "We have to stop. Go to a gas station."

Zoe wanted to refute him but held her tongue, remembering his warning. So she managed to pull up to a nearby gas station.

"Ugh, so hungry," Grover whined.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "You didn't eat before we left camp?"

"No," the satyr replied sheepishly.

Markus could've given him some food from his scroll, but that was for emergencies. So he dug into his pocket and pulled out a couple of twenties. "Here. Buy yourself something to eat."

"Thanks!" Grover said brightly.

He turned to Thalia and the others. "You hungry as well?"

"Yeah," Thalia nodded sheepishly while the Hunters didn't say anything. Their stomachs answered for them.

"Spend the money," Markus offered with a wave of his hands. "I'll get the gas."

"Thanks," Thalia said, kissing his cheek. This surprised the others. The Hunters looked like they were about to gag while Grover had a knowing look on his face.

They went into the convenient store while Markus continued pumping gas for the van. Sensing an unknown presence nearby, he sighed. He knew it was mortal, so it wouldn't be a bother. "You want to come out or continue hiding?"

"Well, aren't you a smartass?" a voice said. A rough-looking man came out from behind one of the gas pumps. "But then again, you ain't smart enough if you knew I was here. Give me your money and I'll be on my way." He pulled out a pocket-knife for intimidation.

Markus had a melancholic look on his face. The thug reminded him of his street days. Good times. "Look, I'm gonna be generous. Walk away, and I won't beat you up."

"Cocky little shit, aren't you?" the thug grinned, showing his yellow teeth. "Just give me the money! I know you're loaded, I saw you give some to your friends!"

Markus' eyes drifted to the dial of the pump and saw it was almost full. "Nope."

"Then I guess this isn't your lucky day!" With that, the thug charged, knife raised. He didn't even get two steps in before Markus appeared in front of him, grabbed his knife-arm, twisted it and slammed the thug's face into the front of the van. All done in one motion.

"Are you alright?!" Thalia exclaimed, the rest of the group walking out of the store. They had just come out when Markus knocked out the thug. She didn't even see him move. Zoe and Adria, having trained with Artemis, saw the movement and were impressed, though neither of them said anything.

"I'm fine," Markus smiled. He then pointed to the knocked out thug. "Him? Not so much." He bent down to pick up the knife that had fallen out of his hand and folded it. "At least I got myself another weapon. Anyways, let's go."

"What was his deal?" Grover asked nervously.

Markus shrugged. "Just some guy looking to rob some people. Now let's go." Markus walked to the van, the others not understanding how he was so nonchalant about what went on.

 **XXX**

Markus was listening to some music on his iPod as the others ate in the van. He was leaning onto Thalia's shoulders while she devoured a cheeseburger. He wasn't bothered by her eating, since his eating habits were much worse.

Scrolling through his playlist and eventually finding some Green Day, Markus removed one earbud and put it in Thalia's ear while he played American Idiot. He knew that she liked the band, so he let her listen to some music. Hearing this, Thalia paused in her eating to give him a kiss on the lips for his actions, then went back to eating. Leaving Markus with some grease and cheese on his lips that he licked off.

Grover and Adria stared at the weird byplay between the couple while Zoe drove. Grover's curiosity at Markus' nonchalance was eating at him. Finally, he could not take it. "OK, I might not be an expert in fighting and other things going on in the world, but I got to say this: you didn't even look worried when that guy was trying to rob you."

"Why should I?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"B-Because he was trying to rob you," Grover answered, stunned at his casual response.

"So? Lots of people tried to rob me. He isn't the first one."

Grover gave an unsure nod while Thalia had a knowing look in her eyes. The others were unsure about his response, but didn't say anything.

The drive was silent for a good while. Markus brought out his Nintendo DS to play some Pokémon. He put in the game card for Diamond and Pearl and started playing out of boredom. Thalia looked at what he was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you playing Pokémon?"

"Because I want to," Markus answered. He looked at her, pausing his game and bringing out another DS from his pocket dimension. "You want to play?"

Curious, Thalia took the DS and linked up with his own for multiplayer. Pretty soon, she got addicted.

Markus offered another DS to Grover. When he explained the concept of Pokémon, he was confused, but managed to play with the others.

 **XXX**

Markus awoke with a start, wiping the drool on his face. He managed to drool a little on Thalia's jacket, making him snicker a little.

A quick check of his surroundings told him that they were in Washington DC, parked at the Smithsonian. What a long drive.

He looked towards the others, who were sleeping. Markus blinked as he tried recalling what had happened before they all drifted to sleep. Him, Thalia and Grover fought in a linked battle and he had won, as expected. Though both of them were persistent.

He stretched, feeling his back and arms crack. He reached towards Thalia and jostled her slightly. "Princess, time to wake up."

"Ngh," the raven-haired girl grunted, rolling to her side in her seat. Sleepily, Thalia protested, "Few m're mins..."

Markus sighed. He looked at Adria, then at Zoe, both sleeping soundly. Honestly, if Zoe didn't scowl so much, she'd actually look cute. Too bad that she was so grumpy.

He hummed, wondering as to how to wake them up. His eyes landed on the steering wheel, and he grinned mischievously.

A second later and the horn of the van blared. Thalia gave a surprised scream while Grover bleated in shock.

Two dagger drove towards his body and Markus liquefied his body to turn it into water to avoid getting pierced **(A.N. - Like how Juvia does it in Fairy Tail)**. Markus removed his armoured vest last night as it was uncomfortable. Markus simply laughed, which sounded warbled as his body was slightly liquid, as he received glares from everyone. "You guys weren't waking up, so I improvised."

"Noted," Zoe said dryly. She then looked at her dagger, then at him. "How come thou does not bleed?"

Turned my body to water," Markus answered, shrugging.

"You... you know what? I'm done being surprised," Adria simply said, grumbling.

"Believe us, you get used to it," Grover and Thalia said as one.

All of them got out, weapons at the ready.

"The Mist is thick today," Adria commented with a frown before kneeling down and running her hand through the snow. "And the powder is shifted. Something powerful came through here."

Markus expanded his hydro-sensing, feeling out who they were facing. One signature had the flow of ichor, so it was an immortal. Who, he didn't know, but the being was powerful. Two had regular blood with different properties, which Markus identified as demigods. One was Percy and the other one... Markus growled, recognising the signature.

"What is it?" Thalia asked.

"One immortal, two demigods and the rest are mortals and others I can't fully identify. Probably identify," Markus answered. "One of them is Luke."

Thalia and Grover froze at that. "L-Luke?" Thalia asked, mixed emotions swirling inside of her.

Markus nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. Listen, we have to go. I'll check who's inside - and don't argue, I'm the better choice. I can get out of there instantly if I wanted to, you guys can't. I'll meet you at the Air and Space Museum, you guys take the van." Giving his girlfriend a quick kiss, he disappeared in pure speed, leaving an afterimage.

 **XXX**

Percy was really regretting interfering when he could've just stayed invisible. But no, he had to grab the scarf so that the skeletons couldn't succeed. That didn't go well for him.

"What's this?" bellowed the General.

Percy watched as one of the skeleton warriors hissed, looking directly at him as he used Annabeth's invisibility cap.

"An intruder," the General growled. "One cloaked in darkness. Seal the doors!"

"It's Percy Jackson!" Luke yelled. "It has to be."

 _Gee, thanks for that, buddy ol' pal,_ Percy thought, annoyed.

Despite being confident in his skills, he wasn't sure he could take on skeleton warriors, mortals (who he couldn't hurt with Riptide) and other monsters along with the unknown General. So, he ran.

The guards in front of him raised their weapons to shoot, but were interrupted by gunshots firing. A couple had went down, bullet wounds in vital areas such as the head and neck.

"You know," a familiar voice called out. "When I said to sneak onto the quest, I didn't say get your ass in trouble."

Percy looked to his brother, who had his pistols in his hand.

"Markus! How - Why-," Percy managed to get out, but Markus interrupted him.

"Later," Markus said, aiming his guns again.

Luke growled. "Markus."

"Castellan," Markus greeted with a smile. "Let me get back to you for a minute. Percy, leave. I got this. Go to the Air and Space Museum."

"But - " " **Now** ," Markus said with bloodlust. This made Percy retreat quickly. Now alone, Markus looked at all of the monsters, mortals, Luke, and the General, who leaned forward on his makeshift throne.

"Markus Henderson," the General greeted, an eyebrow raised on his chiselled face. "How nice to meet you. Kronos would be very pleased in you joining us."

"No," Markus answered quickly and with a bored tone.

The General clicked his teeth. "How unfortunate. Well, we were told of your rebellious nature." He gestured towards the monsters and mortals. "Kill-"

Before he could finish, Markus unsheathed Yamato and disappeared, only to reappear moments later, slowly sheathing his sword. At the _click_ , all of the monsters burst into showers of golden dust and the mortals in showers of blood, heads and bodies separated.

"Him," the General finished in slight shock while Luke gaped. The General quickly hid his nervousness with a loud laugh. "I see our information on you wasn't exaggerated, boy! Truly, you have excellent skill with a sword."

"Thank you," Markus said with a smile. "Now, I hate to be rude, but can you give me a moment?" Immediately, Markus performed a Sonido, appearing in front of Luke. Before he could even blink, Luke suddenly choked for air that he didn't get as Markus grabbed him by his neck and lifted him up with one hand.

" **I'm going to gut you, you son of a bitch** ," Markus scowled, bloodlust pouring out in full force. Luke's eyes almost rolled in the back of his head due to the ungodly feeling of killer intent from Markus.

The son of Poseidon raised his gun and shot at Luke's side, wanting to make him suffer. He was surprised that the bullet bounced off and moved his head to dodge the bullet that came back. " **The fuck**?"

"Ha," the son of Hermes wheezed as he was held by his throat. "G-Good luck trying to kill me, Markus. You should've joined us. The Olympians and Camp Half-Blood won't stand a chance against what's coming- Aaaaah!" He screamed at the end as his arm was cut off by Yamato.

" **So, no armour. Not an illusion. I'm guessing that you probably - and this is a guess - took a dip in the River Styx and became invulnerable** ," Markus guessed as he still held the screaming Luke, who became frightened at the amount of blood pouring out of his stump and the sight of bone. Along the fact that he saw his arm on the floor. Annoyed, he gripped harder, almost crushing his windpipe. " **Doesn't matter. Just because you're invulnerable, doesn't mean I can't kill you. In fact, it makes the deed much more satisfying**." Markus grinned demonically as his vibrating hand was about to pass through Luke's chest.

Markus growled as he saw the incoming spear heading towards him. Using the son of Hermes as a shield, the spear was deflected, bouncing off of his skin. " **Now** , **that wasn't very nice** ," Markus growled at the General.

"Apologies, but we need the boy alive," the General said, not really sounding worried about Luke.

" **Am I to assume that** you are Atlas?" Markus questioned, bloodlust fading. He was still crushing Luke's throat.

"And what makes you say that?" the General questioned.

"It's a hunch," Markus said. "I assumed that, since Artemis is kidnapped, it's more likely that you she is holding the sky."

Atlas grinned. "Skilled, smart and so willing to kill. You'd make an excellent addition to Lord Kronos' forces. A shame that you refused."

"Mmmhmm," Markus hummed nonchalantly. "Sooo, a little birdie told me that you've been dabbling with forces outside of the Greek pantheon. Care to tell me what kind?"

"Now that would be telling," Atlas grinned. "Oh, and by the way, you'd do your best to hurry. My minions are rather... greedy, when it comes to devouring their victims. Put the boy down, and I'll allow you to escape and help your little friends."

"My friends will be fine. I have faith in them. Now..." Markus grinned sadistically and looked at Luke. He lowered his arm so that he could whisper into his ear. "This is for Silena, Thalia, and Annabeth, you bastard." He then dropped the son of Hermes in his grasp. Before he could hit the floor, Markus beheaded him with Yamato. Then - to add insult to the injury - Markus' sword-arm was a blur as it sliced and diced Luke's head so quickly that it looked like his head was still intact. Markus then finished off with a kick that made Luke's head explode into microscopic chunks of meaty flesh and brain matter.

Markus hummed as he stared at the motionless and beheaded body that laid on the floor. With a click of his fingers, the body was ignited with hellfire, the Curse of Achilles not able to withstand the flames of hell. The body was quickly devoured by the flames, which then snuffed out without a trace.

"That was anti-climatic," Markus commented with a wide grin as Atlas seethed.

"You will pay dearly for that, _boy_ ," Atlas threatened.

Markus gave a wide, demented grin. Wanting to tell Atlas who he was dealing with, Markus flared his divine energy. Not his magic, mind you, but energy from his divine core. A sea-green aura surrounded Markus' form. The aura was so powerful that it cracked the ground where he was standing. Measuring his power, Markus assumed that his power output, without using any of his Gears, senjutsu, magic or Rage of Sparta, he was stronger than many of the second-generation Olympians.

Markus' eyes bore into Atlas'. He gave a challenging grin. "Bring it on, Titan of Endurance. You, Kronos, the rest of the Titans, you don't scare me. So you better be able to back up your words, because pretty soon, I'll _crush_ you."

And with that, Markus disappeared in a cloud of vapour.

 **XXX**

Markus appeared where the others were. Thalia and Zoë were nearly butting heads, but Grover and for some reason Adria were holding them back. This struck him as odd as Naruto assumed Adria would've let Zoë get in a fight with the raven-haired demigoddess. While he was slightly worried for Thalia, he was willing to let her fight her own battles. Markus then took note of the nervous Percy standing to the side, looking guilty and shifting uncomfortably.

Having enough of all of this, he gave a loud whistle that caught everyone's attention.

"Where were you, Barnacle Brain?" Thalia questioned, disengaging from Zoe. Markus' lips twitched at her comment.

"Well, Princess" - cue growl from Thalia - "if you must know, saving my brother's ass from Luke and the General."

"He was here? Was Lady Artemis with him?" Adria asked.

"Nope. Turns out the General is Atlas, Titan of Endurance. So my theory was correct." Markus noticed Zoe's flinch again at the name 'Atlas'. "And as for Luke, he's dead."

"You killed him?" Grover asked, shocked. Markus noticed the pained expression on Thalia, which made his heart slightly ache.

"Yeah. Along with some monsters and mortal guards. Your welcome."

"That's not all," Percy said. "There are some skeleton warriors coming along the way. Not only that, but Atlas talked about other 'playmates' as well. We need to go."

"Thou are not included in this, _boy_ ," Zoe sneered. "You are not part of this quest."

"Hey, I'm trying to save your lives!"

"You shouldn't have come, Percy," Thalia said grimly. She managed to recover somewhat from hearing about the death of her friend. "But you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."

"That is not thy decision!" Zoe snapped.

Thalia scowled at her. "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!"

"You never had any wisdom when it came to boys," Zoe growled. "You never could leave them-"

" _Shh_." Markus intoned sharply. Zoe glared at him and made to speak but no words came from her mouth. Stunned, she continued spouting words that no one heard. Thalia smirked at this and tried to say something, only for Markus to put a hand on her shoulder.

"What did you do to her?" Adria asked, alarmed.

"Shut her up for a good while," Markus answered simply. "Now, we are not leaving my brother behind. We-" Markus stopped speaking when he sensed something.

"What? What is it?" Thalia asked, seeing her boyfriend standing still.

"Move!" Markus yelled. The six questers moved out of the way as a shadow covered them and a roar hit their ears. Landing in place where they used to be was a lion, large enough to be a pick-up truck. Its fur was blonde in colour, but glistened and gave off a more molten gold appearance, as its claws shined and looked silver. Gleaming fangs were exposed and dripping with saliva.

"The Nemean Lion," Grover whispered.

The lion roared so loud, it felt like their hair was being parted. Its fangs gleamed like stainless steel. Its eyes stared at the group of teens (and old lady. Guess who?) hungrily as it pawed its way forward.

"Separate on my mark," Adria ordered, since Zoe was incapable of talking. "Try to keep it-"

Markus was already moving. Stepping forward, he unleashed Yamato fully. His arm stayed still, though the others watching saw it blur slightly, creating afterimages. Then Markus sheathed his sword. Purple lines identical to the ones that they saw when they met him at Westover Hall surrounded the Nemean Lion's body and passed through it from all directions.

As they slowly faded, the lion didn't even get the chance to roar before it burst like a piñata into golden dust, leaving behind a duster that was light golden brown. Markus guessed that it was a modern version of the pelt of the lion.

Markus turned to the shocked group. He shrugged. "Was that so hard?"

He then walked forward and picked up his spoil of war, inspecting it. "Not bad," he muttered. "This thing is supposed to be impenetrable, right?" he asked the group, who was still shocked. He could see Zoe trying to talk, so he released the silencing curse he placed on her.

"How exactly did thou cut the lion with thine sword?" she asked.

"My sword cuts through dimensions," Markus answered. "A kitty cat's fur is nothing."

Zoe narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What exactly are thou? No demigod I've seen is as powerful as thou."

"You flatter me, Nightshade." Markus gave a charming smile. "And trust me, there is no other demigod like me." He looked at the jacket again, then at Thalia. He grinned. "Here ya go, Thals. A brand new jacket from your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Percy questioned Grover, who shrugged.

He went to his shocked girlfriend, who was curious. "W-Why do you want me to wear it?" she asked. "It's your spoil. Besides, it can protect you."

Markus shrugged. "I'd feel better if you wore it. Besides, I can liquefy and vibrate my body, making me impervious to damage, so I don't need it. Now shut up and take your awesome gift." Thalia took the jacket, removing her leather one and replacing it with the duster. He took her leather jacket and put it in a pocket dimension.

"It looks good on you," Markus noted.

Thalia smiled. "Thanks." She kissed him on the lips, making Markus grin. He turned to Grover, grin still on his face. "Hey, G. You want to take care of the security guards or should I?"

"Done and done," Grover said as he polished his reed pipes. "They'll snap out of it in a bit, but right now, all they're doing is running into a wall."

"That literally or figuratively?"

"The first one."

Markus snickered. Then he remembered something. "Shit. Have to stock up on bullets." He took a scroll from his trench coat pocket and set it down. Then he began to unravel it.

The group gathered around, curious as to what he was doing. What was revealed was a strange symbol with a number of squiggled lines. Percy and Thalia thought it was their dyslexia acting up. Adria and Zoe examined the seal, while Grover was confused with what was in front of him. Markus placed his hands on the seal and muttered, "Fūinjutsu: Kai!"

A puff of smoke appeared before dozens of mortal steel bullets appeared in packs. Along with an armoured vest covered in celestial bronze and a couple more guns. The two Hunters gasped, Percy and Thalia gaped while Grover had stars in his eyes. "That is so awesome!"

"Why, thank you very much," Markus nodded. He took out his guns and started loading the bullets into one of them.

"What was that?" Percy asked.

"Fūinjutsu," Markus answered.

Fuin-what?" Percy asked, frowning. "Is that even Greek?"

"Nope. Japanese." Markus sealed the rest of his stuff away. "A little trick I learned when I went to Japan."

"Can you teach me that?" Thalia asked, appreciating this Fuin-whatever it was.

"Yep. Learn Japanese first."

"I can barely read English. How the hell do you expect me to learn Japanese?" she grumbled.

"Simple. Learn."

Before anyone else could say anything, Zoe said, "Look."

They all looked through the glass walls of the museum. They could see a group of men walking across the lawn. Grey men in grey camouflage outfits. They were too far away for the group to see their eyes, but Percy could feel their gaze aimed straight at him. Along with them were nightmarish creatures. Far more than the men in grey. Some had blades attacked to them. Others had varying colour schemes. Many of them had different weapons of different sizes **(A.N. - Thet're demons taken from DMC3 and DMC4. Specifically, Death and Hell Vanguards, Hell Prides and Scarecrows)**.

"What the hell are demons doing here?" Markus asked himself, though the others heard him.

"Demons?" Grover asked. "Is that what they are? They don't look like any monster we know of."

"That's because they're not." A gold portal appeared beside Markus. When he put his hand through it, he brought out Red Queen. "They're demons straight from hell. These aren't Greek monsters. We're going to have to split up. Hunters and Thalia, you take the skeletons. Me, Percy and Grover take the demons."

"Wh-What?" Grover bleated in nervousness. "I-I don't think-"

"Grover," Markus said seriously. "Man the fuck up or die. There isn't time for being a pussy. Your best strength is your reed pipes. Ensnare them so that Percy and I can take them down easily. My guess is that the skeletons are armed, and since the Hunters has their bows and Thalia has her lightning, it'll be easier for them. Now go!"

With that, the group split up to battle their chosen opponents.

 ***Play: Devils Never Cry - Devil May Cry 3 Soundtrack ***

Percy and Markus took out the Hell Prides and Scarecrows first and made easy work of them. Then they took on the Hell Vanguards. They were the more trickier demons to deal with. They swung their scythes with deadly accuracy, and would've beheaded the sons of Poseidon if they hadn't dodged.

Percy was in combat with two of them and was using every ounce of his skill with a sword to block their attacks. Markus was having a blast, using his superior strength to cut through the Vanguards and any foolish lesser demon who got in his way. Markus revved Red Queen, hacking and slashing his flaming sword. Sensing an attack, he dodged a scythe attack and kicked out, making the Vanguard stumble. Taking advantage of this, he hopped on top of the Vanguard and stabbed it with Red Queen.

Revving his sword, he practically rode on top of the demon, unleashing his Devil Bringer and grabbing and throwing any demon in his grasp.

"Yo, Percy!" he called out to his brother, who managed to perform a Stinger on one of the Hell Vanguards. Just as the other one was about to attack, Percy jumped out of the way just as Markus hopped off his demon ride and slammed it into the demon, making both of them fall into a heap. Killing his own opponent, Percy slashed down at the demons who landed in a heap, Markus copying the same action. Both swords sliced them in half.

Grover was playing his reed pipes, ensnaring any demons to help Percy and Markus and using his goat feet to stomp on any one that got too close.

With the skeletons, the girls were having a tougher time. While they managed to intercept and even kill a couple, they kept on coming back. No matter how much power they packed into their arrows or attacks, or how many times they hit them, they kept on coming back.

"A little help here, guys!" Thalia called out, blasting another skeleton with lightning while several bullets bounced off of her. She was really grateful for the Nemean Lion pelt.

Markus was finishing a Roulette Spin on two Death Vanguards at once in the air when he heard the cry for help. Performing an Air Hike with a green magic circle, he finished it off with a flaming Helmbreaker that did them in. He leaped, hopping on top of several of the demons' heads before jumping and landing beside Thalia.

"Switch!" Markus called out, making Thalia nod and join Percy and Grover in dealing with the demons. Taking out one of his guns filled with celestial bronze bullets, Markus fired three rounds to inspect the skeletons. The bullets hit them and made some fall, but they got back up quickly.

Markus cursed, liquefying his body to avoid their bullets hitting him. He mentally went through his arsenal to see what could keep the skeleton warriors down and came at the easiest choice. "Move!" he called out to the two Hunters, who kept on shooting the skeletons. Quickly, they both rolled away, leaving Markus to deal with them.

Holding out his Devil Bringer, Markus channelled hellfire to his demonic palm. Condensing the ball to the size of a ping-pong ball, Markus lobbed the ball of flames to the centre of the skeleton warriors. Clicking his fingers, the ball of flames exploded, taking out the skeleton warriors instantly. This time, they didn't regenerate or get back up.

Nodding in satisfaction, Markus looked to the rest of the group, who were now dealing with the demons. They managed to thin the herd considerably. Now they were only roughly twelve demons left. Running to join the group he helped take out the remaining demons.

As the last one was killed, most of the group panted with exhaustion, happy to be rid of their enemies. Before they could celebrate, loud screeching filled the air.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Percy exclaimed, fed up with all of the demons.

Soaring through the air were a couple of bird demons that had bone-like wings spread out. They had the structures of pterodactyls, but looked more menacing. Oh, and they also spat out fire. Lovely.

The Hunters took out their bows and tried shooting them down, but the demons were too fast. In return, they spat out fireballs, making them duck.

Thalia concentrated, calling upon lightning from the sky to strike them down. She managed to kill one that was too slow but the rest avoided the bolt.

"There are too many!" Zoe called out. "We have to get to the van!" While the group tried to leave, a red barrier suddenly formed around the area that they were in.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Percy shouted, annoyed. "A fucking barrier?!"

They suddenly had to dodge, avoiding several fireballs launched at them.

"Aστραπή Βροχή! (Lightning Rain!)" Markus called out. The sky rumbled, before dozens of larger-than-average raindrops made of lightning fell from the sky, showering the flying demons and injuring many of them. Some were killed during the barrage. Markus erected a magical barrier that protected the others from the onslaught.

Markus looked at his girlfriend and gave her a knowing grin. Thalia grinned in response. Holding out their hands, they both worked together in tandem to bring down multiple large bolts of lightning from the sky. The sky lit up as if there were a thousand fireworks exploding. The questers closed their eyes due to the brightness.

After the light faded, they opened their eyes to see smoking and charred corpses of the demons that fell from the sky. As soon as the dead bodies crashed onto the ground, their forms broke away, turning to ash.

 ***End song***

The red barrier faded away, allowing the group to leave.

"Okay," Markus nodded. "Now we can go."

And so they ran past the opening, leaving the Smithsonian.

"We should head back to the van, continue on with the quest," Grover suggested, but Zoe shook her head.

"No. I doubt that is the last of those... demons." She still had an unsure look on her face, as if she couldn't accept the fact that they weren't dealing with Greek monsters. "They would surely chase us down easily if we took the van. We need a faster mode of transport."

"Hold on," Markus said, before running ahead at super speeds. Moments later, he came back, still running with the others. "There's an old subway entrance. We can take a train. It'll be faster."

"Then we should hurry," Thalia said.

"Way ahead of you." Before anyone could say anything, Markus took them one by one to the place that he was talking about. None of them got the chance to scream before they were taken off at super speeds.

The group suddenly landed at the entrance of the subway station, feeling the need to hurl. Grover did hurl.

"Warn us next time!" Thalia wheezed, shaking a little. The others nodded in agreement. Funnily enough, their hairs ruffled like porcupines, making Markus chuckle.

"Sorry," Markus shrugged as they tried to put their hairs back down.

A few minutes later they were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. As their train came above ground, they tried looking for any following demon, but there was none.

"Thank the gods," Grover sighed in relief. The others nodded in agreement.

They changed trains a couple of times, to make sure that nothing was following their trail. Unfortunately, when they finally got off the train they found themselves at the end of the line, in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. And snow. Lots of snow. It seemed to be much colder here.

They wandered through the railway yard, thinking there might be another passenger train somewhere, but there were just rows and rows of freight cars, most of which were covered in snow, like they hadn't moved in years.

A homeless guy was standing at a trash-can fire. They must've looked pretty pathetic, because he gave the kids a toothless grin and said, "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"

Skeptical, Markus studied the man. Going on a hunch, he activated his Magesight. His eyes glowed as he studied the man. He could see his divine aura, signifying his status as a god. And the nature of it was familiar. He knew who he was.

"It's okay," Markus motioned to the others.

"And how can you tell if it's okay?" Thalia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I know," Markus said firmly. "I wouldn't put you guys in danger like that. This guy's harmless. Well, not sure to me."

Seeing her confused look, Markus leaned towards her and whispered, "Apollo."

A knowing look appeared on Thalia's face before nodding.

They huddled around the fire. Markus melted all the snow around them, making all of them significantly warmer.

"Thanks," Grover thanked in relief.

"Yes, thank you," Zoe said slowly, not used to saying those words to a boy.

"Neat little trick you got there, kid," the homeless man noted. His face was relaxed and slightly dazed. Like a hippy. "That magic?"

"Maybe," Markus shrugged. "But you'd know all about neat tricks, wouldn't you?"

The man chuckled, though he did have an angry gleam in his eye. "I guess I do."

The group looked between Markus and the man, curious as to what was going on. Only Thalia knew what was going on.

"You kids need a train going west?" the homeless man asked, his previous dazed expression on his face again.

"Yes, sir," Percy said. "You know of any?"

He pointed one greasy hand.

Suddenly they noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUNWEST LINE.

Markus rolled his eyes at the name.

"Thank you..." Percy started to say, but looked to see that the man had disappeared. "Where'd he go? And who was he?"

"A god," Markus answered. "An annoying one. Let's go."

 **XXX**

An hour later the group was rumbling west. There was no problem about who would drive now, because they all got their own luxury car. Zoe and Adria were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Grover was playing race car driver behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. And Thalia had hot-wired the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the alt-rock stations from D.C. while she sat next to Markus, who was bobbing his head to the music. Percy occupied a Mercedes Spyder, something that was deemed his dream car.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Markus asked suddenly.

Thalia raised an eyebrow, but nodded. He joined her in the shotgun seat and closed the door.

"How are you?" Markus asked. When Thalia was about to say something, he added, "And don't bullshit me. I saw how you reacted when you heard about Luke's death. Talk to me."

Thalia blinked, tears suddenly pricking at her eyes. The radio was playing the White Stripes, but neither of them focused on that.

"It's just..." Thalia started, her voice cracking. Then she steeled her features, and continued. "... I get that he was a traitor. He betrayed me, the camp, everyone. I know that there was almost no chance of him leaving the Titans. And yet... I thought that he would still come back to us, after all this time. I thought that, maybe, I could convince him to come back to his family. To me and Annabeth."

"You loved him, didn't you?" Markus asked with a knowing look. He knew about how Thalia, Luke and Annabeth travelled together. And while Annabeth had a huge crush on Luke, Thalia was the one who connected with Luke the most. She seemed more hurt about the news on Luke than Annabeth did. While this did leave a bitter taste in his mouth, he couldn't fault her for it. And it'd be hypocritical of him to get angry about it when he was dating two girls at the same time.

Thalia nodded slowly, looking at his reaction. Markus noticed this, and wrapped an arm around her slightly. "Thalia, I'm not mad. I don't blame you, given all that you went through with him. And it'd be hypocritical of me to be angry at you."

Thalia nodded again, leaning against him slightly. It was silent between the two of them for a few moments, except the sound of the radio playing.

Then she said, "You didn't make it quick for him, did you?"

"Let's not talk about tha-" Markus tried to avert, but Thalia looked at him, eyes flashing.

"Markus. Answer me. How did he die?" She knew that Markus was one of the few who hated Luke the most for what he had done. She, along with the others, knew that Markus was vindictive and vengeful, despite being easy-going.

Markus hesitated slightly, not saying anything for a few moments. Then, he relented. "I beheaded him, along with turning his head into confetti and setting his body on fire," he said in one breath, awaiting her reaction.

The daughter of Zeus blanched, looking as if she was about to throw up. She didn't, but she did seem a bit queasy. "That... wow, you really don't mess around, do you?"

"Thalia-" Markus made to say, but Thalia held up her hand.

"It's okay," she said briefly. "I'm... not mad at you. He was a traitor. He-"

"-Was also your friend," Markus consoled, pulling her against him. "I can feel your distress, Thals. You're still sad. You don't have to act all tough. That's one thing I love about you, but you don't need to act strong all the time. Let it out. Please."

Thalia didn't say anything for a moment, and the tears refused to fall. But after a moment, her walls fell, and she placed her head on his shoulder. And sobbed.

Not wanting the rest to hear her, Markus quickly created a speed clone to turn off the radio and apply a silencing seal around the car. Then he held her as she wailed. He rubbed her back, holding her delicately as she continued to pour out her sadness. Her heartache.

He sent his magic around his body and used it as a sort of warmth that blanketed the daughter of Zeus. Instead of casting a spell, he used it to envelop her to comfort her, like a warm blanket. He wasn't trying to get rid of her sadness, but lessen it.

After a few moments, due to his intervention, Thalia's cries turned to slight sniffles. He rubbed her back comfortingly, magic lacing his fingertips. Despite herself, Thalia shivered slightly in pleasure at the sensation.

"Better?" Markus whispered.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Thanks."

"You don't need to thank me, princess. I'm here for you. Like I said, your strength is something that I love about you, but you don't need to be strong all the time."

She smiled. "You know, it's words like that that made me fall for you." She kissed him lightly, Markus responding.

They held the embrace for a moment before separating. Markus wiped away stray tear marks on her face. He then looked down at his coat. "Looks like I'm going to need another jacket."

"Sorry-" Thalia started to say, but Markus waved it off.

"Don't worry. I have loads." He removed his jacket, exposing his T-shirt and bare arms. While Thalia was admiring his arms, she also saw the Κράτος rune on his right arm. She reached out, tracing the rune with her fingers. Markus shivered slightly at her touch.

"Nice tattoo," she commented. "Where'd you get it?"

"Not a tattoo," Markus corrected. "A rune." He then explained about the ritual that he performed, showcasing his other runes and tattoos. As Thalia digested the information, she finally said, "Now I see why you're so powerful."

"Partially," Markus said. "You don't have a problem with them?"

"No. I get that it was partially due to your fatal flaw, but I can't judge. My fatal flaw is power lust. If I was in your situation, I'd be tempted to do so too. Besides," Thalia lifted Markus' shirt to showcase his Uruz rune on his stomach, "They look sexy."

"Glad that you like them," Markus smiled. He was so glad that she didn't judge him for his decision so long ago. "Hey, how about we get some rest? It's been a long day."

Thalia was about to protest, but she yawned, suddenly feeling tired. "Yeah. Okay."

Smiling, Markus summoned a few pillows and a blanket. He also placed a couple of softening charms on the car seat that they sat on.

"Best. Boyfriend. Ever," Thalia grinned, happy.

Smiling widely, both demigods wrapped themselves up with the blanket and snuggled close to each other, falling asleep.

 **XXX**

In his dream, he felt weird. Yes, his dreams were usually weird, but this was approaching Top Five Weirdest Dreams.

He felt his consciousness along with Percy's mashed together into a figure. He also got a full view of the entire dream, yet he felt that he and Percy were actually the person in the dream. Creepy.

He (or Percy) was wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, that looked a little too breezy downstairs, and laced leather sandals. The Nemean Lion's skin was wrapped around his back like a cape, and he was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping his hand. Markus also saw his image along with Percy's shift between who he knew and then to the man called Heracles.

"Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see the girl's face clearly, but anyone could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!"

The girl's voice sounded familiar, but Markus couldn't place a name.

It was nighttime. A million stars blazed above. The two were running through tall grass, and the scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and yet the girl was leading both boys mixed in one through it, as if they were about to die.

"I'm not afraid," Percy tried to tell her. It was oddly involuntary for him. He could speak but it was someone else's voice along with his. Still, he went along with the man's word's. He was not afraid.

Markus didn't say anything, getting a feeling that this all was in the past.

"You should be!" she said, pulling him along. She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.

They raced up the side of the hill. She pulled him behind a thorn bush and they collapsed, both breathing heavily. Neither boy knew why the girl was scared. The garden seemed so peaceful.

Percy felt strong. Stronger than he'd ever felt before. Markus actually felt weaker, for some reason.

"There is no need to run," Percy-Markus told her. Their voices sounded deeper, much more confident. Huh, it was like they were a fusion, like in DBZ. Freaky weird. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."

"Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way."

The hurt in her voice surprised him-them. She was really concerned, almost like she cared about him-them.

"I don't trust your father," Markus said this time.

"You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die."

Percy chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"

"I… I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out… they would disown me."

"Then there's nothing for it." He-They stood up, rubbing his-their hands together. Okay, this was getting confusing. All in all, Percy was enjoying the scene. Markus was feeling slightly bored.

"Wait." the girl said.

She seemed to be agonizing over a decision. Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. _My_ immortal power."

The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.

"Take it," she told him. "And make of it a weapon."

The fusion - Markus knew it was Heracles, but it would sound cooler if it was a fusion. Then again, it might not - laughed. "A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one?"

"It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."

The girl's voice softened the boys' heart. He reached down and took the hairpin, and as he did, it grew longer and heavier in his hand, until he held a familiar bronze sword.

Markus raised an eyebrow while Percy was shocked. It was Riptide, Percy's sword.

"Well balanced," Heracles said. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands. What shall I name this blade?"

"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea."

Before Markus-Percy could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like air escaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He is here!"

Both boys woke up at the same time: Grover shaking Percy awake while Markus was cuddling with Thalia. He didn't hear anything outside, which confused and worried him. Then he remembered that he put a silencing seal. He dispelled it, and was able to hear knocking and chattering outside. "Markus, Thalia. Wake up."

Markus sighed, not wanting to get out. It was so comfy. Alas, duty called. He silently cursed Artemis for getting kidnapped.

He shook his girlfriend. "Thals. Wake up."

"No," she moaned, hogging the blanket to herself. "Too comfy. Five m're minutes."

"I know," Markus agreed. "But we have to get up." When she didn't budge, Markus said, "I'll douse you."

Immediately she was up. "I'm up! I'm up!" Markus chuckled and removed banished the blanket and pillows away, making Thalia sad. "I wanted to sleep more," she whined.

Smiling, he kissed her nose. "We've had our rest. We need to continue the quest." Seeing she wasn't happy, he offered, "When we get the chance to sleep again, you'll get all the sleep that you need. Along with pillows, blankets and a large, warm mattress."

"That does sound nice," Thalia thought aloud. She sighed. "Fine."

Reluctantly, both demigods left their car, joining the others. They took notice that the train had stopped. Markus caught Percy's eye, who ha a knowing look on his face. Markus didn't focus on that for a moment. He concentrated on the girl that he saw in his dream. Zoe Nightshade.

"Hey, guys. You go ahead. I need to confirm something with Zoe about the quest," Markus offered suddenly.

Everyone looked confused, especially Zoe. Adria made to protest, but Markus turned to look at her, his eye lighting up with power, showcasing that he was serious. The Hunter was quick to leave.

Seeing the nod Markus gave them, the others drifted off.

Curious, Zoe looked at Markus, who gave her a serious look. "What dost thou want?"

"When we're you going to tell us that you were a Hespheride?" Markus asked seriously.

Zoe's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Markus. Then she clenched her jaw tightly. "How do you know that?" she hissed.

"Had a dream about it. You also met Heracles. Which is cool. Anyways, why didn't you tell the group that Atlas was your father and you knew specifically where Artemis was kept?"

She suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Markus' collar. "Thy lips shall not spread the truth or else thou shall feel my wrath!" she snarled.

Zoe's hands experienced a biting cold so frosty that she screamed, hands encased in ice. She looked in shock. "How-"

"I understand that it's your business, but if you ever do that again, I will shatter your hands," Markus said seriously. "Now, are you going to be calm, or do I have to follow through with my threat?"

Wisely, Zoe backed down. She didn't seem any less angry, but was now a little tame.

The ice melted from her hands. She rubbed her hands together swiftly. "Now that I've gotten your attention, I want to ask. What happened that you left your home and joined the Hunters?"

She refused to say anything, making Markus nod. "Okay, so something terrible happened. Fine. Since it's your past I'm talking about, I'll allow your silence. Let's see: you aided you aided Heracles in one of his labours. When you did help him, you went against your sisters and father to do so. Finally, Heracles acted like a jackass and denied you whatever he promised, most likely freedom from the Garden of the Hespherides. Heartbroken, you started hating men due to his actions." Markus chuckled seeing her shocked face. "I'm not just all about power, you know? I actually have a brain and can use it damn well. So, the son of Zeus is the reason that you hate all males?"

Zoe gave a slow nod, seeing that her secret was exposed.

"That's stupid." At her enraged face, he continued. "I get that what he did was terrible, but that doesn't make all men terrible."

"Please," Zoe scoffed. "All men are pigs. You use and toy with women for your sick fantasies and desires. You are disgusting, greedy, pathetic and evil."

"Funny, considering all of this is coming from a daughter of a Titan. A being known for their cruelty, even more than the Olympians." At Zoe's stunned face, he continued. "I could hate the Titans, therefore hating you and all other half-Titans by that logic, when they've done nothing to me to earn my hatred. I don't hold your heritage against you, Nightshade. Frankly, I don't care. Just because you're a daughter of Atlas, doesn't mean that I'd suspect that you're a traitor or evil. You're a bitch, sure. But not evil."

"That... that's different," Zoe weakly argued. The logic used was making Zoe think about her hatred of men. Something that she was scared to do.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then let me give you another example: if all men are vile pigs, then all women are sluts."

"How dare you?!" Zoe screamed in rage.

"Why are you angry? I'm just using your own logic against you." Markus continued, now on a role. "Aphrodite, the goddess of love, has slept with probably more men than Zeus has women. By that definition, she's a slut." _I mean no offence, Aphrodite._ "Meaning, because of her actions, all women are sluts and filthy whores, by your logic. After all, she's an Olympian goddess, so her example can be followed by a number of people."

"I... I don't..." Zoe mumbled, shocked. Her mouth was opening and closing, trying and failing to come up with a solid argument. If Markus wasn't trying to prove a point, then he'd laugh at her expression.

"Don't judge the actions of one man against all men," Markus said. "Yes, some men are vile, are rapists. Are evil and wicked. But that's human nature. As many men that are evil, there are probably an equal amount of women that commit the same act. Women who are paedophiles and rapists. Women who kill purely for the joy of it. In fact, Artemis and your Hunters are such a group. You claim to hate men for what they have done to you, yet you perform the same acts. Your mistress turns men into animals and hunts them to satisfy her bloodlust. She has probably destroyed families and relationships because of her selfish and hypocritical actions. If you're willing to turn a blind eye to your actions and not feel remorse, that makes you the true monsters, not men. So think about that before you sprout anymore bullshit from your mouth."

With his piece said, Markus walked ahead, wanting to join the others. He looked back at Zoe. "Think about what I've told you. Because if you ignore my words and continue to act the way you do, I'll probably end up killing you for your stupidity."

Then he walked off, leaving Zoe to her thoughts.

 **XXX**

Markus met up with the others. Apparently, they were in a small ski town in the mountains. They had made it to Cloudcraft, New Mexico. It looked boring.

The air was cold and thin. The roofs of the cabins were heaped with snow, and dirty mounds of it were piled up on the sides of the streets. Tall pine trees loomed over the valley, casting pitch-black shadows, though the morning was sunny.

"Where is Zoe?" Adria asked immediately upon seeing Markus.

"She's thinking about the strategy I told her about," Markus said, standing beside Percy. He noted that he was shivering. He also saw that the others were also shivering.

Being nice, Markus brought forth his magic to the air, making it dense and humming with energy. He didn't pull out too much, just enough to push the cold away and make the surrounding air warm.

Immediately, the others were able to feel the effects. They relaxed as the air became warmer.

"Who turned up the heat?" Grover asked.

"That would be me," Markus said. "Decided I should heat things up. I'm just releasing a small bit of your magic."

"This is a small bit?" Percy asked, stunned. The others were shocked as well. "Just how powerful are you?"

Markus hummed. He didn't exactly want to show them. The surroundings would be destroyed. So he gave a rough estimate. "I can probably beat the Big Three if I really went all out, though fighting dad would be tough."

At that, everyone stopped and stared at what Markus had said. It was simply impossible to imagine that a demigod could defeat gods, let alone the three most powerful gods. Suddenly they were really, really thankful that Markus was on their side and didn't join the Titans.

"How are you so powerful?" Adria asked suspiciously. "No demigod, even children of the Big Three themselves, can be as powerful as you claim."

Markus gave a small grin. "Simple. I wanted to be powerful, and it was done."

Before anyone could try and figure out his odd statement, Zoe came from behind, looking confused.

"Zoe? Are you alright?" Adria immediately asked, by her side. Zoe didn't answer, still deep in thought. When Adria jostled her slightly, she snapped out of it. "Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Let us continue."

Nodding, the group set out. Though Markus was able to feel Zoe's gaze on his back.

"Grover, we need to somehow get to the coast. Apollo said I should try and find Nereus in San Francisco," Percy said, getting the goat boy's attention.

Grover looked uneasy. "That's good, I guess. But we've got to get there first."

"Good point." Percy said a little shaky. He then turned to his brother. "Can't you teleport us all there with magic?"

"I can, but it'd be difficult," Markus answered. "Namely because I haven't been there before. Teleporting to places that I haven't been is risky. I can chance it, but I'd rather none of us were missing any body parts along the way. It'd be a last resort."

The grouped stopped in the middle of town. They could pretty much see everything from there: a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store.

"Great," Thalia said, looking around. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."

"We could always make one," Markus offered, but the others shot his idea down.

"There's a coffee shop!" said Grover.

"Yes," Zoe said, snapping out of her mood. "Coffee is good."

"And pastries," Grover said dreamily. "And wax paper."

"... Someone say coffee?" Markus asked after a moment. Thalia's, Percy's and Grover's eyes became wide at that question.

"No," they all said at the same time.

"What?! Why?" Markus asked, shocked.

"It's because you'll become hyper, you won't sit still and you'll become like a squirrel," Thalia listed off.

"... We're demigods! We are all of those things!"

"Yes, but you're the most ADHD demigod that we've met," Percy said.

"That's you!" Markus pointed at his brother angrily. "With all the shit you've pulled since becoming a demigod and even before that, you have no right to say that statement."

"While I agree with you-" "Hey!" "-I'd advise against it," Grover said while Percy was angry at his words.

Markus narrowed his eyes at his friends who denied him a simple pleasure that he hasn't tasted yet. Grinning like a madman, Markus zipped ahead into the coffee shop.

"No!" the three exclaimed, fright in their eyes. They tried running after Markus, but knew it was futile.

"I don't know why you all are overreacting," Adria scoffed. "It's just coffee. What's the worst that can happen?"

 **XXX A few minutes later XXX**

"I stand corrected," Adria said in slight awe and fear.

The reason why? It was because Markus was consuming several cups of coffee. Several as in ten. And he was still going.

The questers, and even the clerk, looked in slight awe and horror as Markus consumed so many beverages that it could potentially kill a man. He foot was stamping the ground so quickly that it was starting to create a dent in the floor.

"Whoooo!" Markus cheered after drinking his twentieth coffee. "I feel so freeeee! I'm rearing to go finish this quest! Matter of fact, I feel like I can do the whole damn thing by myself!" He was disappearing and reappearing around the coffee shop at speeds that Markus was used to, but it was worrying for the others. He even managed to find himself standing upside down on the ceiling, break-dancing.

"What... What the Hades is going on?" Thalia asked, stunned.

"I-I don't know," Percy said in response, fearing for his brother's sanity as well as his own. "We are never letting him near _any_ coffee again."

"Why can't we stop him now?" Grover asked, not touching his own pastry or coffee. He flinched at the frightened looks on the demigods' faces.

"We literally couldn't stop Markus if he was normal," Thalia said slowly. "You want to try and stop him when he's essentially high as my father?"

Grover opened his mouth, then closed it. He already knew the answer.

"I have been alive for several millennia," Zoe said, watching Markus put his fingers to his lips and move it up and down, making airplane noises, "yet I have never seen a sight so... so bizarre."

"And he says that I'm the most ADHD demigod," Percy scoffed. He felt a couple of eyes on him, and he looked to see Thalia, Grover, Zoe and Adria look at him incredulously. "What?"

"Nothing," they all said at the same time. Neither of them knew who was the most troublesome demigod: Percy or Markus.

"Hahaha!" Markus was now performing several flips, before performing a Spin Dash across the floor. No one was able to question the physics behind his actions, or the logic. Finishing his Spin Dash, he landed in a heap, a questioning look on his face. "I suddenly feel the need to traverse a place called Green Hill Zone along with a two-tailed fox."

The poor clerk fainted, the shock of seeing such bizarreness getting to him.

Pushing himself upwards, he ran out of the shop, creating a sonic boom that shattered the windows. A couple of seconds later, he arrived, grinning like a loon. "What are we waiting for? Let's a-go!"

"First he's a blue hedgehog, now he's an Italian plumber," Percy muttered, facepalming.

Thalia shook her head to retain some of her lost sanity. "That's it: no more games for him."

Suddenly, Grover and Markus froze, worrying the others. Percy was about to ask what was wrong, when a warm breeze rustled past, like a gust of springtime had gotten lost in the middle of winter. Fresh air seasoned with wildflowers and sunshine. And something else—almost like a voice, trying to say something. A warning.

Markus, through the haze that he was in, felt something that he was familiar with. This was natural energy. A lot of it. So much in fact that it almost overwhelmed his senses. He slammed his mental barriers down on his mind to snap him out of his funk. He was still affected, by the coffee, because he liked the buzz.

Zoe gasped. "Grover, thy cup."

Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with pictures of birds. Suddenly the birds peeled off the cup and flew away - a flock of tiny doves. Markus' Fehu rune glowed brightly, along with his Yang tattoo. There was so much natural energy that his tattoos absorbed the energy, glowing even brighter.

"Woah," Markus noted. "I'm glowing."

Grover collapsed next to his coffee, which steamed against the snow. They gathered around him and tried to wake him up. He groaned, his eyes fluttering.

"Hey!" Thalia said, running up from the street. "What's wrong with Grover?"

"He's overwhelmed with nature energy," Markus explained, getting eyes on him. "He can sense the abundant energy that appeared suddenly."

"How would thou know that?" Zoe asked curiously.

Markus grinned like a loon. "I'm kind of a sage."

"What?!" Zoe and Adria exclaimed, shocked.

"Yeah. You guys didn't know?"

"Zoe, why are you so shocked?" Thalia asked.

Before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Grover's moan. "Uuuuuhhhh."

"Get him up, then," Thalia said.

"It's near," he muttered.

The others tensed, not knowing who he was speaking about. Percy bent down and slightly shook him. "Grover. Hey, Grover. Wake up."

"The gift," he kept on muttering, tossing and turning. "The gift of the Wild."

Markus placed a hand on Grover's head and sent a burst of electricity through it. This was enough to snap the satyr out of his state. "Wha-? Where..." Suddenly, Grover gained a frantic expression on his face. "It's here. The gift."

"Oi, Grover!" Markus snapped. "Why don't you tell us what 'gift' is coming?"

Suddenly, there was a crashing sound in the forest nearby, like a bulldozer. Everyone got their weapons out.

"Whatever that 'gift' is, I don't think it's friendly," Percy muttered. The ground shook, making everyone prepare themselves.

"A gift," Grover repeated.

And then, with a mighty roar, the largest pig any of them had ever seen came crashing into the road. It was a wild boar, thirty feet high, with a snotty pink snout and tusks the size of canoes. Its back bristled with brown hair, and its eyes were wild and angry.

"REEEEEEEEET!" it squealed, stomping on the ground.

"Well, I always did want some bacon," Thalia smirked. She raised her spear, but Grover yelled, "Don't kill it!"

The boar grunted and pawed the ground, ready to charge.

"That's the Erymanthian Boar," Zoe said, trying to stay calm. "I don't think we can kill it."

"I'm guessing that this is the gift of the Wild you were talking about, and so we can't kill it because it was sent by Pan," Markus said in one go.

Grover nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."

"... Okay," Markus muttered, putting away his weapon.

"Then how are we supposed to stop it from killing us?" Percy asked, Riptide and Lowtide still raised.

The boar squealed again and swung its tusks. Before it could do any damage, Markus sped forward and grabbed the tusk. The boar roared in defiance and tried to free itself while also skewering him, but Markus held onto the tusks firmly, not letting go.

"Don't kill it!" Grover exclaimed worriedly.

"No problem," Markus responded.

Then with a grunt, Markus pulled the boar towards him, making the creature rise from the ground slowly. Markus' muscles contracted slightly as he lifted the boar in the air by its tusks alone. Then with a roar, he slammed it head-first into the ground. It didn't disappear in golden dust, but it definitely was out like a light.

"... That was anti-climatic," Thalia muttered, lowering her spear.

"Remind me again: why are we on this quest when he can just handle everything?" Percy asked the others.

Markus dusted his hands like he was taking out the trash. "Too easy," he muttered.

"You didn't have to hit it so hard," Grover said, checking on the boar.

"You said you didn't want it killed. It's not killed," Markus shrugged. "That was pretty badass, if I do say so myself."

"Ha! Please, I've performed better feats than that in my mortal lifetime," a voice called out. The group tensed, not expecting someone to show up.

The voice belonged to a man that walked out of the forest. He was a mountain of a man, who stood around 6'8. He had short cropped black hair, electric blue eyes like Thalia did, a healthy skin tone along with a white toga and leather sandals. He had an identical Nemean Lion pelt like Thalia's draped from his neck like a cape, with the head of of it over his head like a hood. He also had a large club like a baseball bat.

Zoe snarled like an animal when she saw the man. "You!" she exclaimed with venom.

The man chuckled, his voice deep. "Zoe Nightshade. How... pleasant it is to see you again. Still frolicking with my sister's handmaidens?"

Markus raised an eyebrow. It was the same guy from his dream previously. He wore different clothes and had a godly aura around him, but he knew who it was. "Heracles."

The god Heracles turned to look at the one who had spoken. He sneered. "Hello _cousin_."

 **And boom! Heracles (I'm calling him that since that's his Greek version) has appeared. Le gasp!**

 **Hope y'all liked the chapter. I'm ending it on this particular cliffhanger.**

 **Here, the questers going on the quest, Markus killing Luke (an actual tragedy when I wrote it. Quite brutal), killing the skeleton warriors along with demons DMC style, Markus conversing with Zoe about her view of males and Markus curb-stomping the boar. Yep. Quite a lengthy chapter.**

 **Truthfully, I wasn't sure if I should off Luke or not in this chapter, but then I realised Markus' character and then remembered that he wasn't getting out alive. Despite that, I do like Luke as a character. He was very intricate and was something of a revolutionary, of a sort. Plus, I do like the villains more, so sue me. I'm sure you can tell why Markus was angry at Luke.**

 **Anyways, next chapter is the confrontation with Heracles. How much you want to bet about what happens next chapter? Along with why Heracles is there in the first place.**

 **Now, review answering time:**

 **1) I do agree that I'll have to plan that little space arc very thoroughly. I'm still on the fence about the 'fathering-the whole-pantheons' thing, but I'll see.**

 **2) Thanks for the suggestion on the Warhammer 40k videos. They really helped. Thanks for your praise on the story as well. Markus might thrash Atlas so much that I'll doubt he'll be able to hold up the sky anymore. As for Ladon? I'm honestly thinking of Markus keeping him as a pet, maybe make a pet monster collection. Cerberus, Ladon, etc. And the golden apples will be plucked.**

 **3) I do agree that defeating Tartarus won't be as impossible as I thought, so thanks for that. And I do agree that taking away a god's divine influence may weaken primordials, not make them fade. So now Markus could possibly beat him, if not can. And thanks for your praise on the story. The prophecy was a bit hard to hash, but I tried to make due.**

 **4) That suggestion is really good. I can think of a few planets that could involve influence from Monster Hunter, Attack on Titan, Godzilla-level fights, destruction on a wide scale. It'd be glorious... ahem. Anyways, tell me your suggestion on what the 'burning trail frozen jail' line was about. I'm curious.**

 **5) Like part 3), I now believe it is possible, since Piper was able to make Gaia sleep. Aphrodite is powerful, but not that powerful. The fight between Markus and Tartarus will be big, bloody, and very hard for him.**

 **6) I think I know which fic you're talking about. Thanks for the suggestion on Iceman. I can sort of implement that idea into the story. Thanks very much.**

 **7) He can and will do that, but I don't want to use the space/time magic loop every time. Probably on Zeus when he throws his master bolt at him.**

 **Anywho, thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. I love y'all.**

 **Stay tuned to more chapters from Kronium34- Okay, I'll stop being silly.**

 **Read and Review!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42:**

"Wait, what is Heracles doing here?" Percy asked, shocked at seeing the god of strength and bravery on their quest.

"That's none of your business, weakling," Heracles responded with a sneer, getting Percy and the others to frown. "I'm only here for _him_." He pointed to Markus, who had a bored look on his face.

Markus didn't speak for a moment, worrying the others, before he spoke. "If it's for the reason I think it's for, I'm going to nuclear." His calm tone slightly scared the others. "I believe you're here on the orders of Zeus?"

"That's right," Heracles said in an arrogant tone. "Father sent me to kill you. Due to you disrespecting and attacking several Olympians." He shrugged. "Frankly, I don't care about all that. I wouldn't mind killing a child of my uncle. What father was thinking, wasting my time to kill a runt like you, I don't know."

"Funny that you call me a runt, since at least I don't swing an overcompensating weapon," Markus said, pointing to the god's club. This got the group to snicker slightly.

Heracles sneered. "Oh? You think you're cute?"

"Bitch, I'm adorable," Markus refuted with a smirk. "Hey, how's going from a doorman to Zeus' bitch?"

Instead of looking offended, the god chuckled. "I get why you're talking big, ya know? You're nervous, afraid, to face me. Don't worry. I'll at least make your death quick. That's the mercy I'll grant you for amusing me."

"Afraid?" Markus threw his head back and laughed loudly. He kept on laughing like he was told a funny joke. Heracles' smirk turned to a frown as the others looked concerned.

"Stop laughing, fool!" Heracles bellowed. "You stand before the god of strength and bravery! The patron of heroes! Son of Zeus!"

"And soon to be dead man," Markus said after he finished laughing. He had a grin on his face. "Believe me, if I wanted you dead, you would be. So I'm going to be offer you mercy. Go back to Zeus and call off his stupid hunt for me. The only thing that he'll achieve is more gods defeated or dead. I'm getting sick of his actions. If he wants me, he's gonna have to come and get me!"

The sky boomed loudly, and lightning shot down to where Markus was standing. The questers shouted for him to move, but he didn't. He just held up his hand lazily and absorbed the lightning.

He kept on looking at Heracles. "Well? What's your answer, god of strength?"

The god snarled, hefting his club on his shoulder. "You want my answer, boy? Here it is!" Moving quickly, Heracles swung his club to Markus' head, who didn't move.

Seeing this, Heracles laughed. "Your funeral, boy!" He swung with all his might, a savage gleam in his eye. It faded from his eye when he saw Markus grab the weapon with one arm. But there was something different about him. His eyes turned from sea green to a bright gold. There were strange red markings on his face. And his Fehu and Yang rune and tattoo glowed, supplying Markus with nature energy to use senjutsu.

Markus grinned at Heracles' shocked face. "My turn."

Rearing his fist back, Markus decked the god in the face and sent him flying, hitting several trees and causing a loud BOOM to come from the forest.

Markus turned to the others, who looked confused at the change in eye colour and the markings on his face. "I'll be back."

And with that, he disappeared. His speed had increased dramatically to the point that he didn't use kinetic energy. Heading towards the place where Heracles was picking himself up, he dashed ahead. Seeing this, Heracles snarled and punched at Markus, the son of Poseidon performing the same action.

A giant shockwave was produced from the force of the two, clearing the trees and cratering the ground slightly.

Feeling the sting but not affected by it, Markus noted that - despite his nonchalance - this actually might be a challenge for him. He grinned.

Pulling his fist back, the god raised his fists back and went for an overhead strike. Markus rolled out of the way, the ground cratering heavily where he previously was. Turning quickly, Heracles went for a haymaker that deflected with his fist and attacked the god, using his fighting knowledge.

Markus' fist hit the god and made him stumble slightly but didn't deter him. When Heracles punched, Markus deflected. When he kicked, Markus swept him from his feet, making him growl. Instead of going into a blind rage, however, Heracles instead used his head and starting fighting with wrestling and boxing techniques that Markus was able to pick up.

Markus noted that he was using the art of pankration, a sort of Greek fighting style that Heracles and Theseus invented in the old days. Markus idly watched Heracles' movements as both fought. While Markus hated to admit it, Heracles was slightly stronger than him. Not by much, but still considerably stronger. While Markus was able to avoid most of his strikes, some did connect. He wasn't winded, due to the added durability that Sage Mode **(A.N. - I'm calling it that for simplicity's sake)** gave him, but they still stung. However, Markus was faster than him and had better fighting knowledge. Not because he was a better fighter, but he was able to implement each fighting style he used either one after the other, or all together. Heracles, who used pankration, hadn't practiced with his skills, since most of his strikes were a little sloppy and focused more on brute strength.

Having enough of the stalemate, Heracles roared and - to Markus' surprise - backhanded him hard enough to send him flying further into the forest and into the base of one of the snowy mountains, cracking it slightly.

"I will have your head, boy! No one belittles the might of Heracles!" the god roared, running after him.

Markus didn't show any signs of damage or pain as he lay at the base of the mountain. He only grinned, calling out to him. "I love how you say your name with pride when it literally translates to 'Glory of Hera'! You know, the bitch who ruined your life!"

If anything, the charging Heracles roared with even more anger.

Just as the god was almost on top of him and ready to punch downwards, Markus moved quickly and gave him a clean uppercut, lifting him off the ground slightly and stunning him.

Taking advantage of this, Markus kicked his back and made him land on the base of the mountain. Grinning sadistically, Markus grabbed his head and ran up the mountain, dragging the god along with him. Heracles grunted as he left a trail of destruction along the mountain, pushing him deeper into the snow and rock. He tried to struggle, but it was no use.

As Markus was dragging him across the mountain, he saw that he was nearly reaching the top. With a roar, Markus lifted Heracles with one arm and practically launched him in the sky, breaking the sound barrier.

Jumping after him, Markus followed Heracles' trail while in the air. He didn't waste any time in delivering a devastating blow to his stomach, sending him downwards. Kicking the air with his strength, he zipped down to where he was about to land. Markus then delivered a volleyball strike to the god, launching him to the air again. He waited for a moment, playfully looking at an imaginary watch on his wrist. After a few seconds, Markus saw him about to land on the ground. Speeding towards his landing point, Markus struck Heracles' face, slamming him into the ground due to the force of his punch and the god's momentum.

Cracks were created from the ground, acting like a spider web. It reached the base of the mountain that they were at and made it shudder for a minute.

Seeing Heracles stunned for a moment, Markus grinned. He planned to make this a spectacle. If Zeus was sending his son to kill him, it was only right that he was able to witness it.

Grabbing a drachma from his pocket, he used the water vapour in the air to make a big rainbow. "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Accept my offering." He tossed the drachma into the rainbow, watching it disappear. "Olympus," he requested.

The mist shimmered and showed the throne room of Olympus in all its golden glory. Sitting in their thrones were the Olympians. They seemed to be arguing about something. Probably Artemis being kidnapped.

"Yo!" Markus shouted, catching their attention.

"You!" Zeus bellowed with fury upon seeing him.

"'Sup, King Bitchfit! Hi dad!" Markus greeted Zeus and Poseidon.

"Hello, son," Poseidon smiled, happy to see his son. He ignored Zeus' growling at his nickname. "May I ask why you are calling us?"

"Just about to show you all the smackdown of Heracles," he said with a shrug, as if talking about the weather. This got the others to gasp at his words, making some whisper. "Hi, Ares! And Apollo, nice to see you! Hello to you too, Hermes."

"Punk." "'Sup, kid?" Ares and Hermes greeted while Apollo glared.

"What is this about _Heracles?_ " a woman on one side of Zeus asked with displeasure at the god's name. She was a beautiful woman wearing a Greek toga. She had long brown hair and deep brown eyes along with a beautifully sculpted face.

"I'm guessing you're Hera?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You would be right, boy. Now what is there to talk about that buffoon?"

"I'm just beating his ass into the ground because he was sent by Zeus to kill me."

"What?!" the other gods exclaimed and looked to Zeus. Poseidon was the loudest and the most furious. Ares and Apollo seemed to grin in glee.

"You tried to kill my son by sending Heracles after him?!" Poseidon bellowed in rage, standing up at full height with his trident in hand. "You dare?!"

"The boy is too powerful! And he has already committed crimes against Olympus and its people!" Zeus rebutted, grabbing his master bolt to meet his brother.

"Crimes?! What happened with Artemis was her own fault! She attacked him first! And Apollo and Hermes were sent by your orders against him! If you continue this madness, I will-"

"Dad," Markus interrupted.

"What?" Poseidon turned to his son. "I'm on a roll here."

"I know. But don't worry. I'll kick Heracles' ass, so I'm in no danger. You can still kill Zeus, make my day."

"You? Defeat the strongest god?" a woman with black hair and grey eyes scoffed. She sat in a grey throne and wore a chiton. "Foolish."

Seeing the similarities between her and Annabeth, Markus knew that this was Athena. "Well, Braniac-" Athena's eyes narrowed while some gods laughed. "-if I was able to beat Ares along with my brother at a young age,-" Ares glowered and growled at this "-defeat Artemis on my own, along with binding Apollo and being faster than Hermes-" both gods frowned at that "-I think I'm damn well capable."

"You dare insult me?" Athena whispered in anger.

"Yes. Also-" Markus raised up his hand to catch a punch from a now conscious Heracles. The ground cratered and splintered behind him while a shockwave was produced. The gods gasped at seeing this.

"You know, it's rude to interrupt someone when they're talking," Markus frowned at the snarling god.

"I'll kill you, you son of a bit-" Heracles was interrupted by a punch to the face.

"Language," Markus chided with as much seriousness as he could muster. This made some of the laid-back gods laugh.

"Fuc-" Punch. "Language."

"You little shi-" Punch, followed by a nosebleed of ichor. "I said language."

"Damn yo-" Punch. Loose tooth. "What part of 'language' do you not understand?"

"DO YOU EVER SHUT UP?!" Heracles bellowed and went for an overhead strike. Markus ducked, hitting him with a nasty gut punch.

Heracles managed to recover and recklessly attacked him, giving in to his anger. Markus just bobbed and weaved out of the attacks.

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" Markus asked, blocking several of his strikes and responding with his own.

The god screamed in frustration. "STOP MOCKING ME!" He was so furious that he didn't see the punches Markus delivered to his face, chest, stomach and back. He fell down, grunting and growling in pain.

"Wrong answer. Come on, at least try," Markus taunted, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Standing up quickly, Heracles ran forward and punched Markus in the face, making him step back slightly. All he did was spit out a wad of blood. "You hit like a bitch," Markus grinned.

Heracles gave another punch to Markus' stomach that made him fold over, followed by slamming his fist on his back. He followed this up with a football kick that made Markus fly slightly. The son of Poseidon landed on his feet, still standing. He made a show of stretching his body, popping slightly. "Is that it? Honestly, your mortal sister could hit harder than that."

Heracles had enough. He charged forward like a bull, not caring about anything other than to smash his face in. Markus dashed forward, meeting his charge. The two powerhouses locked fists with each other, struggling to overpower one another. They ended up using their legs to kick each other, both locked into a stalemate.

Markus was pushed back slightly, still attacking the god. Having enough of this, Markus disengaged from the lock and gave a wicked uppercut. Seeing his opponent stunned, Markus went behind him and performed a German suplex, lifting Heracles up from the ground and slamming him headfirst, making the ground crack and a shockwave to resonate from the area.

Markus simply waited for the god to recover, now bored with the fight.

A few moments later, Heracles emerged fully from the ground. His head was cracked, leaking heavy amounts of ichor. He swayed for a few moments, before standing firmly on the ground. "That is it," he whispered dangerously. His eyes were bloodshot, his toga and Nemean Lion coat caked in ichor. "I have had enough of this mockery. Witness my true power!" Suddenly, he began to grow brightly.

Markus sighed, knowing he was entering his true divine form. Well, he had an ace in the hole as well.

Markus started to turn his divine energy in his body into steam. Using his powers as a son of Poseidon, he carefully boiled his energy the same way that he could access his water powers on himself. What he was doing was heating his body up to produce steam from his energy. However, unlike Second Gear, the steam produced was boiling hot. So hot in fact that he started sweating considerably and melted the surrounding and remaining snow around him. His hair became matted with sweat and clung to his scalp. The building pressure from his boiling energy made his muscles clench with unbelievable power. **(A.N. - If you want a better example, think of the Boil Release: Unrivalled Strength technique from Naruto)**.

Just as he was finished with his build-up, he closed his eyes and faced Heracles, who's body was unleashing more power than before. The god growled, seeing his plan fail. Having enough of this, Heracles raised his hand and fired a blast of godly energy towards Markus, who backhanded the blast away. It was sent towards the mountain near them, which promptly exploded. Stone pebbles were sent flying everywhere and the shockwave produced blew away the ski resorts nearby as well as the snow.

Markus started walking forward to Heracles, who was now nervous. He kept on firing bolts of godly energy, each more powerful than the last. Markus just walked forward, not bothered by the onslaught of blasts that didn't do shit against his senjutsu-enhanced body and steam armour. With each result being the same, Heracles stopped, stepping back slightly in fear as Markus kept on coming. Eventually, his arrogance and anger won out, and he roared. He charged forward, punching Markus in the face.

Not only did Markus not budge, but Heracles retracted his hand, clutching it tightly as he screamed in shock and agony as the bones in his fist broke. Just from trying to punch this insignificant fool. This wasn't supposed to happen! This filth should've been destroyed and turned into a bloody stain! He was Heracles! The son of Zeus! The strongest one there is! This-This half-blood can not - should not - be able to make a fool of him.

Heracles kept on punching, his fists doing nothing except breaking even more the harder he punched. Markus just stared at the god, not doing anything. "Do you realise how beneath me you are?" Markus said, his lips forming into a smirk. He crossed his arms, infuriating Heracles even more. "All you're doing is annoying me now. I'm more godly than you ever will be. You're nothing more than ant that I will gladly crush. And you want to know something?" Markus' grin became wider. "You're nothing more than a joke. Both as a former half-blood and as a god. I will crush you. I will surpass you. I will make your legend as something nothing but mockery and trash!"

"Shut up!" Heracles bellowed, cradling his fists that were nothing more than broken bones and destroyed flesh now.

"I want something, though." Markus didn't wait for Heracles to finish. "I want your title as 'Patron of Heroes'. When I kill you, I want your title. Only, I'll change it to 'King of Heroes'. Do you agree?"

"You will never defeat me!" Heracles refuted.

Markus rolled his eyes. "Do you accept those terms? If you're so confident, swear it on the Styx."

"Fine," Heracles bit out, not bothered by the words. The sky boomed with thunder, signifying the oath.

Markus smiled a cold smile. "Good."

Having enough of talking, Heracles bound forward. Before he could get far, however, Markus caught his wrist, and pulled. Practically yanking the god's arm out of his socket.

Heracles screamed as ichor flowed like a river from his stump, but he was silenced by Markus whacking him with his own dismembered arm. Sending his sailing towards the forest where they fought previously. Before he could get far, Markus was already behind him, slapping him with the god's arm so hard that it splintered, sending him through the air.

Markus didn't let him rest, however. He followed Heracles, beating him with his own arm until it was practically destroyed due to the force applied. So he used his fists. One punch sent the god literally flying through the stratosphere. Markus sailed after him, using the wind to fly. Another punch sent him on a round trip across the world. The friction that Heracles caused due to going so fast burned his body. His godly body was able to hold up, however. He was tumbling and twisting through the air, unable to stop. And then he crash-landed onto a snowy surface.

The impact sent snow flying and the surroundings to rip apart due to the force. Heracles was thankful for the snow, because it was able to somewhat cool his body down from the frictional force. He tried to catch his breath.

"Huh, didn't think I'd be back here," a voice said directly above him, and Heracles almost shrank away in fear. He weakly saw Markus looking around the destroyed area in remembrance.

"I should plant a flag here, saying 'North Pole. Property of Markus Henderson'. What do you think?"

Before Heracles could say anything, he felt a large and agonising amount of pain in his ribs and he felt weightless.

Markus looked at the god that was sent flying, foot outstretched. Then he flew after him, destroying the North Pole even further due to the force used.

Markus reached Heracles and started punching him rapidly, the strikes breaking Heracles' body even more and creating shockwaves across the world. Markus grinned as he chanted a familiar battle cry. "ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA!" The shouts were nothing but music to Markus' ears while the god of strength could barely hear them as he was being punched so fast and so hard that he literally couldn't feel anything.

"ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA! ORA!" Markus ended the final shout with an uppercut that shattered the windows of surrounding buildings in what looked like France and caused the clouds to disperse from the force. People from below covered their ears and screamed loudly from the sound.

Markus followed after the ascending god, reaching a level height and clotheslining him so hard that he sailed west, heading straight towards a familiar floating palace.

As the Olympians were watching the Iris-message shown, they all heard a loud bang as the gates of Olympus crumpled and flew, having been crashed. They all stood in alarm, weapons ready in response to what happened. Only to pause and stare in shock and horror at seeing the beaten, battered, destroyed and bloody form of Heracles, the god of strength. All the bones in his body were broken. The ichor caking his body had evaporated due to the friction burning it off, leaving blackened skin that was slowly chipping away. One of his eyes was destroyed, and the other was slightly bleeding.

"F-Father..." the weakened and broken god croaked. The Olympians - even Hera - flinched at how weak and small his voice sounded. "H-Help m-me... please. S-Save me from-"

He couldn't finish as his head was stomped on by a foot that belonged to Markus. He grinded his foot on his skull, cracking it slightly. He looked up to see the shocked Olympians.

He gave a savage grin. "Yo!" He gave a peace sign.

"How did... What did...?" Zeus stuttered, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

"Your son is about to die. Painfully. Because of your actions. Father of the Year, aren't you?" Markus snarked. Heracles tried to rise, only for the son of Poseidon to viciously stomp down on his head. "Heel, bitch. Oh yeah." He looked to Athena, who flinched at his eyes on her. "Well? Nothing to say? Is the goddess of wisdom speechless?"

Markus reached down and picked Heracles up by his hair. Or what was left of it. He moaned at the pain done to his scalp.

The son of Poseidon looked to all the Olympians. "You're going to have to rename me as the strongest and most powerful demigod alive. I want a statue done by the time I've saved the bitch."

Markus threw Heracles off Olympus, and soon followed after.

Markus was done playing games, and so was beating Heracles black and blue. His body was slowly being reduced to mush and was slowly being torn apart. Finished with his job, Markus held Heracles by his throat. He was barely conscious to hear what was said to him. "I told you," Markus said calmly. "If I wanted you dead, you would be."

And with that, Markus grabbed Heracles head with both hands and, with an inhumane roar, ripped him in half. Ichor sprayed Markus' body as bones, organs, intestines and muscle spilled from the body, still uselessly clinging to the dead god's body. With a grunt, Markus threw the two halves of his body in the air and aimed both his hands to it.

Energy gathered in his palms as he cupped his hands together. "Bye-bye!" A gigantic storm laser was launched from his palms, similar to a Final Flash from DBZ. The laser reached Heracles descending body and engulfed him completely, disintegrating him completely. Not even ashes remained from Markus' attack.

The beam lost some energy, before dispersing completely. And so, Heracles, the god of strength, was dead. At least for a long while. And the newly dubbed 'King of Heroes' was born.

 **XXX**

Done with his god-slaying, Markus appeared before the Olympians, shocking them again. They raised their weapons, but didn't do anything else.

Markus dismissed his Sage Mode and steam powers. He just looked at each Olympian gravely, before setting his eyes on Zeus. "I'm done," Markus said simply, confusing the others.

"What do you mean 'done', son?" Poseidon asked, confused.

"I mean I'm done with you all. I already had nothing holding me back from saving you all, but I'm annoyed. Very annoyed. And pissed off. So I'm washing my hands off of Olympus. You can fight your war with the Titans yourself."

"So you are admitting that you are a traitor and are joining the Titans?" Ares asked with too much happiness.

Markus just looked at the god like he was an idiot. "No, you dumbass. I mean that, when the time comes, I'm not saving Olympus. I know of the prophecy, and that it entails of a child of the Big Three."

"How do you know of the Great Prophecy?" a goddess asked. Markus noted that she had similar features to Katie. Meaning that this was Demeter.

"I have my ways," he answered simply, making some gods frown. "The point is that I refuse to save beings who are arrogant, foolish and follow a pathetic and useless king."

"YOU DARE-" Zeus bellowed in rage, lightning sparking from his form. He was cowed when Markus unleashed his full power among the Olympians. And what they witnessed shocked them.

Emerald - not sea-green like last time - energy swirled around Markus' form. The marble floor cracked and cratered largely, creating cracks that went across the entire floor. Across his form, lightning sparked and surrounded him, along with a whirlpool of water that surrounded him like armour.

Across the globe, storms and hurricanes suddenly formed from Markus' will. The earth rumbled with great force. Due to his lineage as a son of the Stormbringer and Earthshaker, he was able to perform all of this with ease. As a champion of Susanoo... well, the results spoke for themselves.

The sky lit up with lightning. Black clouds gathered, power crackling underneath them. It was silent for a moment, with the clouds only fizzing. Then the sky exploded.

Lightning streaked. In California. In Long Island. In Rhodes. In New Jersey. Practically everywhere in America. The sea churned, floods sweeping up the land and swallowing buildings, livestock and plant life. The earth shook with anger, as if Hades himself was furious. Buildings shook and collapsed. Craters opened up and swallowed incoming cars. The ground cracked and splintered. Hurricanes, furious storms, tornadoes were encompassing the entirety of the States. And then the range of all this destruction, slowly expanded. Beyond the States. Beyond America.

Back in Olympus, ice started to form, covering most of the thrones. But that wasn't what made the gods shiver. It was what was behind Markus.

Colossal. Gigantic. Words didn't begin to describe what they saw. Twelve heads. Twelve - no, thirteen - set of emerald eyes that burned with such intensity and ferocity that the Olympians - bar Poseidon - felt a chill down their spines. The being was black in colour. Devoid of life. Of mercy. Of feeling.

Staring at the beast, they all felt like they were getting sucked into the a black hole. An abyss. They had never felt such fear since Typhon. The fact that a _demigod_ was producing this kind of power stunned them.

Markus grinned, the dragon head mirroring his action. And when he spoke, the heads spoke with him.

"Your day of reckoning is near, Olympians. History is repeating itself. Ouranos dealt with his downfall at the hands of his own children. Kronos dealt with his in the same fashion. And now," Markus chuckled darkly, "the same thing is happening to you. The only difference is that you have a chance to rectify your mistake. Only it's slipping very, _very_ quickly. Know this; I do not fight for Olympus, but for myself and those I give a damn about. I could care less about the war with the Titans. I could either let them destroy Olympus, or do it myself. Or maybe wipe both of you all out at once, saves me the trouble. Thalia, daughter of Zeus, will not fight and die for Olympus. I will make sure of it. I will take her place and possibly decide the destruction of Olympus. Not by a choice made from me. But by my _own hands._ Because of your actions, you have a possible enemy. One that won't take his time like Kronos, but end your reign instantly. Any action taken that pisses me off - and you know what I mean - I start the prophecy now. Threaten me, I start the prophecy now. Harm any of my precious people - you get the idea. I am not your puppet, but my own man. Dad," here Markus lost his smile and his eyes lost a bit of their glow, "Atlantis will be left alone from the dealings of Olympus. That I can promise you. I will defend the palace myself if need be."

Poseidon quickly nodded his head and smiled in thanks, even if it seemed out of place here. "Thank you, son."

Markus nodded. Then he looked at the Olympians coldly. And called back all his power. All the storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, storm clouds. They now disappeared as quickly as they came. The image of the beast receded, and Markus disappeared in a cloud of vapour, leaving fearful and scared gods that now realised that their end was very very near, and it was all due to their king.

Markus appeared before the questers suddenly, shocking them. All the group heard were the loud bangs across the sky, the mountain being destroyed and a gigantic beam that lit up the sky. Along with the storms, earthquakes and storms. It was like something out of DBZ, to be honest.

The questers balked at seeing Markus covered in ichor and sweat, panting slightly. His shirt and jacket were torn, showcasing his upper body and runes. The sight made Thalia, Adria and Zoe blush heavily, though the two Hunters would forever deny it.

"W-What happened?" Grover asked, almost fearing the outcome.

Markus grinned as he panted. "Guess."

"Is Heracles dead?" Zoe asked with too much enthusiasm once she got rid of her blush.

Markus smirked at seeing her eager expression. "If you want to know, yes. Beat him black and blue across the world, sent him to Olympus with a punch, ripped him in half and destroyed him with a laser of badassery."

Zoe's expression was radiant. She smiled, something that none of them had ever seen. Percy blushed a little, seeing that she looked more beautiful than before. Grover swooned slightly, seeing this. Markus noticed that she seemed lighter, like a heavy burden was lifted off of her. It wasn't much, but it showed.

"I can't believe I am saying this, but thou might just be the male that I like the most," Zoe admitted, shocking everyone. Sure, they knew that she hated Heracles, like a lot. Markus was the only one as to why. But they didn't think that she'd be this happy. "Th-" She suddenly hesitated, her smile dimming a little. Then she scrunched her face. "Thank you," she said slowly, as if the words were foreign to her.

Markus shrugged. "No problem. Got to kill a god, get a new title and - ooh." Markus stepped forward and picked up Heracles' club. He inspected it, tossing and turning it. "Not bad." He sent it into his personal pocket dimension, that held all his other weapons. "Now..." Markus cast repairing charms on his clothes, making them fully whole again. "That's better."

"Uhh, what about the quest?" Percy asked, remembering that they were still on a quest to save Artemis. Grover looked to the bull, who seemed to be struggling to stand. "A gift of the Wild," he muttered.

"I agree," Zoe said, happiness fading away to get back on task. "We must use it."

"Hold up," Thalia said irritably. "Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing."

Grover looked over, distracted. "It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?"

"Fun," Percy said. "Like… pig cowboys."

"I'd rather run," Markus said.

Grover nodded. "I know. But we need to get aboard. I wish… I wish I had more time to look around. But it's gone now."

"What's gone?" Percy asked.

"The power of the Wild," Markus answered, crossing his arms. "I felt it for a brief moment, before feeling it fading away."

"You said that you were a sage," Adria reminded. "How is that possible?"

"What's so special about being a sage?" Thalia asked, confused.

"A sage is someone who is in tune with nature," Zoe explained. "Someone who can become one with it. Use it for their benefits. There were very few sages in Ancient Greece. Some were disciples of Gaia. Others were children of Demeter. Lady Artemis has tried to master the art of the sages for quite some time, but has never been able to accomplish it, despite being the goddess of the hunt." She turned to Markus. "How were thou able to become a sage? Who taught thou? There is no way that it could have been a human."

"You're right, it wasn't a human," Markus agreed. "It wasn't a human, but a nature spirit. I can't tell you, as the spirit likes the privacy given to them."

"Y-You're a sage?" Grover asked, awe in his voice.

Instead of answering, Markus closed his eyes. Suddenly, the teens were able to feel a warm sensation. It was similar to when the pig came barrelling towards them, but stronger. Grover and the Hunters were the most shocked. The satyr even shed a tear at the feeling of nature. Then they saw that Markus gained red tribal tattoos (at least, it looked like that) on his face, and his eyes turned gold. They could feel the air around him had grown heavier. But the power didn't scare them. It felt... welcoming, warm.

Grover was in a daze as he approached Markus. The son of Poseidon was able to snap him out of it with a whack to the head.

"Ow!" Grover exclaimed. He rubbed his head as he gave Markus a dirty look. Markus only shrugged.

"Incredible," Zoe breathed out, feeling the power of nature swirling inside of the demigod.

"What's so special about being a sage? Apart from being one with nature?" Percy asked, wanting to know more on the subject.

"Becoming a sage allows one to reach unimaginable heights of power. If a regular mortal were to learn the arts of the sage, they could reach the level of the most powerful demigods," Zoe explained, shocking the group except Grover, Markus and Adria. "With his level of strength..." she gestured to Markus, shivering slightly. "I can not imagine it. No wonder thou were able to defeat Heracles."

"But-But how did you learn to become a sage?" Grover asked. "You'd have to be very in tune with nature. And you're the son of Poseidon. Not any nature deity."

"That's true," Markus nodded. "But the sea is also a part of nature. Not a strong connection, but it's still there. That was able to help me in learning the sage arts. But we need to deal with something." He looked to the struggling boar. Walking towards it, Markus bent down and placed his hand on its head. He sent a burst of senjutsu to the creature, healing it of its injury.

Being a creature of nature, it eagerly accepted the nature energy and was able to stand up quickly, shocking the others.

"D-Did you just heal it?" Thalia asked.

Markus nodded. "Honestly. You see me do shit that's either impossible or badass, yet you get surprised each time. It got funny the first few times, then it got old."

"It's not our fault you're stupidly overpowered," Percy retorted.

Markus scoffed. "Details. You're just jealous." He turned to the boar. "Will you help us?" he asked the pig, who squealed enthusiastically. "Cool."

Grover hopped onto its back first, followed by Thalia. Markus got behind her, making her blush a little. Zoe reluctantly got on behind him while Adria and Percy followed. The Hunter turned to Percy with a glare. "If you try _anything,_ I'll gut you."

Percy gulped and nodded quickly.

Markus cleared his throat and looked at the Hunter pointedly. Adria immediately lost her hostility.

With that, the Hunters, demigods and satyr began their journey on the boar.

 **XXX**

The group rode for hours on the giant boar. Nobody was sure how many miles exactly they travelled, but the mountain landscape they left soon changed to that of flat, dry land. The grass and scrub brush got sparser until they were galloping across the desert.

To pass time for himself, Markus leaned onto Thalia's back and nibbled on her ear. This had the effect of making her squirm. "Stop," she hissed.

"I don't want to," Markus whispered back with a grin. He kept on nibbling on her ear, biting it playfully and blowing into it slightly. Thalia continued to squirm and flushed lightly. And since she was riding on the pig, she couldn't hit him, only struggle slightly.

"If thou could keep your advances to thyself," Zoe said from behind him, her face scrunched up in disgust, "that'd be most appreciated."

"Spoilsport," Markus muttered.

As night fell, the boar came to a stop at a creek bed and snorted. He started drinking the muddy water, then ripped a saguaro cactus out of the ground and chewed it, needles and all.

"This is as far as he'll go," Grover said. "We need to get off while he's eating."

"Well, good thing we're departing the Porky Express," Markus said, wincing slightly at the saddle sores that he had received. Looking around, it seemed everyone had that problem.

Grover looked nervously at the boar when he said that. The boar just looked at Markus out of the corner of its eye, but just snorted as he smiled at it. After its third saguaro and another drink of muddy water, the boar squealed and belched, then whirled around and galloped back toward the east.

Markus pouted. "Aw. I wanted to keep it as a pet."

"I don't think it'd appreciate that," Grover said dryly.

"It likes the mountains better," Percy guessed.

"I can't blame it," Thalia said. "Look."

Ahead of the group of six was a two-lane road half covered with sand. On the other side of the road was a cluster of buildings too small to be a town: a boarded-up house, a taco shop that looked like it hadn't been open since before Zoe Nightshade was born, and a white stucco post office with a sign that said GILA CLAW, ARIZONA hanging crooked above the door. Beyond that was a range of hills… but they were not actually hills at all. They were actually piles of junk that went on for miles.

"Whoa," Percy said, taking in the sight.

Markus scowled. Since becoming a sage, he'd had an appreciation of nature. Not to the level of nature spirits, but he did like the outdoors. Seeing the piles of junk left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," Thalia said. She looked at Grover. "I don't suppose you got another wild boar up your sleeve?"

Grover was sniffing the wind, looking nervous. He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to anyone not a satyr, but Grover looked concerned.

"That's us," he said. "Those six nuts right there."

"Which one is me?" Percy asked.

"The little deformed one," Zoe suggested.

"Oh, shut up," Percy growled a bit.

"Always knew that we were a little nutty to go on this quest," Markus said with a smirk. That eased the tension as the others chuckled at the joke.

"That was terrible," Thalia said after laughing.

He turned to her. "Made you laugh, didn't it?"

"That cluster right there," Grover said, pointing to the left, "that's trouble."

"A monster?" Thalia asked.

Grover looked uneasy. "I don't smell anything, which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge…" He pointed straight toward the junkyard. With the sunlight almost gone now, the hills of metal looked like something on an alien planet.

Markus sat down. "I think we should rest for a bit," he suggested to the others. "It'd be much better than charging head-first into danger. We're going to need our full strength for whatever it is." Well, he could continue, but he didn't know about the others.

Zoe nodded at that. "I agree with thee." At that, everyone whipped their heads towards her. She glared at them. "What?"

"Nothing," they all said as one.

Thalia leaned towards Markus and whispered in his ear. "I think she's warming up to you."

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing," he muttered. He waved his hands, conjuring several sleeping tents.

"Thank the gods," Percy muttered, seeing the tents already set up.

Markus scoffed. "I was the one to summon them. Don't thank those useless dumbasses." The sky didn't even boom with thunder this time, something that confused the others.

The night got chilly fast, so Grover and Percy collected old boards from the ruined house, and Thalia zapped them with an electric shock to start a campfire. Pretty soon they were about as comfy as you can get in a rundown ghost town in the middle of nowhere. Markus conjured some s'mores and some sticks, each person taking one. The mood was similar to Camp Half-Blood, only without the campers or the sing-alongs.

"The stars are out," Zoe said.

She was right. There were millions of them, with no city lights to turn the sky orange.

"It's still a marvellous sight to behold," Adria commented, appreciating the view.

"This is nothing," Zoe said. "In the old days, there were constellations have disappeared because of human light pollution."

"You talk like you're not human," Percy said.

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"

Markus laid on his back, enjoying the sight. It really was a magnificent sight to behold.

"For _you_ ," Thalia corrected. "Not _thee_."

"But you use _you_ for the beginning of a sentence."

"And for the end," Thalia said. "No _thou_. No _thee._ Just _you_ _._ "

Zoe threw up her hands in exasperation. "I _hate_ this language. It changes too often!"

"Thals, leave Zoe alone. It's not her fault that she's an old grandma," Markus said with mock seriousness. The others laughed as Zoe glared daggers at him.

"Thou are the most annoying _man_ that I've ever dealt with," Zoe growled.

Markus looked up with shock and happiness. "Really?" He turned to the others. "I think she likes me!"

The whole group, even Adria, was laughing as Zoe tried shooting arrows at Markus, who kept on catching them and putting them in a pile. "Hey! You could kill me!"

Zoe scoffed. "Please. If thou can kill a god, thou can handle a few arrows."

"It's the principle of the thing!" Markus turned to Thalia. "Are you going to allow her to do that to me?"

Thalia shrugged with a grin. "If it can keep you in line."

"Doubtful," Markus scoffed. "Well, Zoe. If it's any consolation, at least you're a hot GILF."

Zoe looked confused as the others the other two boys laughed, Thalia grew red in the face and Adria looked confused. "What is this 'GILF'?"

"It means-" Markus was hit by a bolt of lightning before he could say anything. Of course, it didn't affect him. He looked to a seething Thalia. "You know that it was a joke, right?"

"I don't care," Thalia retorted, scowling. "It's not funny. It's disturbing."

"Fine, fine," Markus said, rolling his eyes.

Zoe and Adria continued to look confused while the others recovered from their laughter.

It was silent for a moment. Grover sighed. He was still looking up at the stars like he was thinking about the light pollution problem. "If only Pan were here, he would set things right."

Zoe nodded sadly.

Markus thought about it. He sympathised with Grover about wanting to find Pan, but he didn't really know how he felt. As a sage, he could appreciate what he was talking about. "I think that the world has seemed to forget about nature all together. Not sure if Pan were to set everything right."

Grover had a contemplative look on his face, but didn't say anything. Maybe he wanted to keep his hopes up. Finally, he said, "Maybe. I need to find him when this is over. Maybe coffee is the way to find him. I need more coffee."

"Grover, do you really think that was Pan? I mean, I know you _want_ it to be." Percy said sadly.

"He sent us help," Grover insisted. "I don't know how or why. But it was his presence. I'm going back to New Mexico when this is over and drinking a lot of coffee. It's the best lead we've gotten in two thousand years. I was so close."

"I could help you," Markus offered, making the others turn to look at him. "I'm a sage. If I were to sense the same feeling from before, I could zero down Pan's location and help you find him."

"You'd do that?" Grover asked with hope in his voice.

"Of course," Markus nodded. "You're my friend, goat boy. Of course I'd help you."

Grover looked extremely happy, the most any of them had seen. Meanwhile, Zoe had a contemplating look on her face as she stared at Markus.

"Thank you!" Grover got up and galloped to Markus, giving him a bear hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Grover," Markus managed to get out due to being crushed by the hug. "I love you, dude, but I like women. Boobies and ass for life."

"Oh, shut up," the satyr replied. Then both of them laughed.

"Sorry to interrupt your bromance," Thalia called out once they were finished laughing, "but can we talk about those demons that we fought? I want to know why they're allied with the Titans. They're not of Greek mythology." She looked to Markus, as did everyone else.

He sighed. "I'm not sure. I don't know why. Demons usually follow demon masters, not anything outside of their own circle."

"You've faced them before?" Percy asked curiously.

Markus nodded. "I killed one of their masters on a quest for Hecate. A Duke of Hell."

"Hell? You mean the Underworld?" Grover asked in confusion.

Markus shook his head. "No. I mean hell. Like, the Christian hell."

"Wait, what?" Thalia exclaimed in shock while the others had the same reaction. "Y-You mean that God, the big guy in the sky, is real?"

Markus nodded, a smile on his face. "Yeah. You're reactions are exactly the same ones I had when I found out."

Suddenly, Percy remembered something. He looked to Markus. "Wait, when we asked Chiron about God, he said that all that we shouldn't worry about it. All this time, he knew?"

"I suspect that he did," Markus answered, unsure. "I wouldn't know. The reason that none of us knew this was because Zeus decreed it forbidden to speak about it due to his fucking ego."

Thalia looked at Markus. "You really don't like Zeus, do you?"

"No," Markus said plainly. The others knew why, so they couldn't blame him. "But don't worry, my princess. None of that hate shall transfer to your pretty little head."

"Flatterer," she smirked.

"I aim to please," he responded with a grin.

"Wait," Percy said, interrupting the byplay. "Won't Zeus punish us, since you told us this?" The others looked panicked at that. Thalia tried to convince herself that her father wouldn't punish her, but then she reminded herself that he did let her die and turned her into a tree.

Markus waved their worries away. "Don't worry. I'll protect you. If Zeus even tries anything, I'll kill him." The sky boomed, but Markus didn't react. The others were shocked that he could say that so casually and with confidence. They knew that he was powerful, but to say that you could kill the king of the gods? Then again, he did say fight the Big Three and win.

"Would thou protect us as well?" Zoe asked, gesturing to herself and Adria, who looked scared.

Markus didn't say anything for a moment, worrying the others. Then he sighed. "Yeah. Truth be told, you've grown on me, Nightshade. You're annoying, sexist and arrogant. But," Markus had a grimace on his face, but he continued, "you're somewhat tolerable. Somewhat."

Zoe surprisingly smiled for a moment, before letting it fall. "Thank you. Thou still are an arrogant male, though."

"True. And you're a bitch."

"Pig."

"Grandma."

"Man-child."

"Hag."

"Brain-boiled lout."

"Cunt-licking Girl Scout."

"Oh, just shut up and kiss already," Percy interrupted, annoyed. He felt a shiver down his spine as Zoe, Markus and Thalia glared at him, the looks promising pain. "What was that?" all three of them asked ominously.

"N-Nothing," Percy squeaked.

All three of them nodded.

"We need to plan our next move," Adria suggested. "When we get through the junkyard, we must continue west. If we can find a rode, we can hitchhike to the nearest city. I think that would be Las Vegas."

Markus sighed in relief. "Good. I should be able to teleport us all there."

Before anyone could say anything, they were hit with a blazing light from down the road. The headlights of a car appeared out of nowhere. Percy was half hoping it was Apollo, coming to give them a ride again, but the engine was way too silent for the sun chariot, and besides, it was nighttime. They grabbed their sleeping bags and got out of the way as a deathly white limousine slid to a stop in front of the group.

The back door of the limo opened right next to Percy and before he could step away, the point of a sword touched his throat. At that same moment, Riptide and Lowtide appeared in his hands and were at the throat of the one wielding the sword. Wavebreaker was also there as well. The sounds of the rest of the group gave way to them drawing their weapons, ready for anything.

The owner smiled cruelly. "Good. You got better, punk."

"Ares," Percy growled.

The god of war sent him a cruel smirk before looking at the others. "At ease, people." He snapped his fingers and their weapons fell to the ground. Except Wavebreaker, which dug deeper into his throat.

Ares turned to Markus, who looked bored. "Wha-"

"If you're wondering why my weapon hasn't dropped, it's because my will is stronger than yours and that you're nothing more than an ant before me."

Ares' eyes lit up. "Why you-"

Markus disarmed him with inhuman speed and gripped his throat. Tightly. "Two years ago, me and my brother fought you, and you lost. Now, I can erase you like I did Heracles and not lose an ounce of power or sleep over it. I think you forgot when I simply flexed in front of you Olympians and made you piss your pants. Now, if you wish to fight, I will gladly do so. Although it'd be more of a slaughter than an actual fight. Now, **what do you want?** "

"Please, release him," a melodic voice came from the limousine. It was sweet, beautiful, and made the questers weak in the knees. Even the Hunters. They all felt the need to follow the command, even if it wasn't aimed at them. Markus wasn't affected. If anything, he gripped Ares' throat tighter, making the god of war choke.

"What do you want, Aphrodite?" Markus asked the voice with a drawl, not releasing Ares.

"I'd like to talk to you and your brother. And can you please release Ares for me?" the honey-sweet voice asked.

"Only if you call him off and you cut it out with the charmspeak. It's annoying,"

The voice huffed. "Oh, fine."

Markus turned to Ares, releasing him. "If you try anything, I'll destroy you."

Ares glared, but didn't say anything. He snapped his finger again. The lights inside the taqueria suddenly blazed to life. The boards flew off the door and the CLOSED sign flipped to OPEN. "She only wants to talk to you two. The rest can go eat."

"That'a not-" Zoe started to say, but Markus raised his hand.

"It's fine," Markus interrupted. "Take the others and go. We'll be fine."

Zoe didn't look happy about that, but she relented. The others followed after giving the both of them a worried look.

Markus then turned to Percy. "Come on, Percy. Let's go meet the pants of the relationship."

Percy laughed while Ares growled.

The god held the door open for Percy to step in. Markus made to follow, but Ares stopped him. "She only wants to talk to you one at a time," Ares explained calmly. As calm as Ares can be, though.

Markus arched a brow but waited. He knew that Percy was in no trouble. Both gods knew that harming Percy would incur Markus' wrath, in which he would wipe them both out, even if one of them was Silena's mum.

Five minutes later, Percy came out with a contemplating look on his oddly flushed face and with a slight glare to Markus. Something that confused him. Ares pulled the son of Poseidon out of the way and pointed at Markus. He rolled his eyes and climbed in, noting how comfortable the seat was before looking at who 'summoned' him.

He caught a glimpse of several people: an older Thalia, Silena, Annabeth, Katie. The woman's hair changed from black to blond to brown very quickly. She even changed into several actresses and models that he had found hot before he started dating, which would've been awkward. Her eye colour changed from eelctric blue to forest brown to baby blue to storm grey instantly as well. The odd thing about her shapeshifting was the fact that her bust and other physical features didn't change. Those were very attractive and supple, but were kept the same.

Markus slammed his mental shields down on his mind in an attempt to kill his slowly rising libido. Wouldn't help to talk to the goddess of love and beauty with a boner. Well, maybe... no. It wouldn't.

The woman giggled melodically, but Markus didn't react. He sighed instead. "So what can I do for you, Aphrodite?" he asked, bracing himself.

Aphrodite pouted. "Oh, don't be like that. You don't have to act so tense. I would never hurt you."

"Paranoia has helped me throughout my life," Markus answered, shrugging.

"But I want the fun child of Poseidon. Sure, your brother is very interesting, but you are the one I wanted to see the most!"

"I'm flattered," Markus said with a smile, relaxing slightly but not completely. "I can tell that this talk won't be mainly about the quest."

Aphrodite scoffed. "Please? Helping Artemis? Boooring. I'd much rather talk about _you_."

"There's really nothing interesting about me," Markus shrugged.

"Are you serious? You're the talk of Olympus! Son of Poseidon, Hero of the Unclaimed, soon-to-be Harem King-"

"Wait, what?" Markus blinked at the last one.

Aphrodite grinned. "Oh? You didn't think I wouldn't know about your unique situation with my daughter and the daughter of Zeus? I was _so_ happy when I found out about it!"

Markus groaned. "Oh, joy."

"The love, the heartache, the drama! Oh, it's so delicious!" Aphrodite was on a roll. "Your love life is the most interesting I've seen in a long time!"

Markus was seriously contemplating on getting out. Aphrodite was like her daughters. Annoying and nosy.

"And there's even more girls on the way! Oh, I'm so proud of my baby girl for suggesting this whole business!" Aphrodite squealed. Loudly. Markus held his ears as the sound was killing them.

"So?" The goddess leaned too closely for his liking. He could see her swaying bust, and was wanting to take a look when he killed his lust fast. Aphrodite was hot, true, but he didn't want to deal with the whole drama that came with it.

She reached out, teasing his ear with her hand. Markus noted that her touch was soft and alluring.

"Hmmm," she hummed. She grinned seductively. "I can see why Silena was so willing. A handsome specimen of man like you is meant to be shared!"

Markus pushed her hand away slightly. "Actually, Aphrodite. I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Oh? Is it about helping assembling your harem? I can do that! Are you asking me to join?"

Markus did like the mental image that came with her words. Very, very much. Reluctantly, he shook his head. "No. What I wanted to ask you was why you allow your children to break the hearts of others? As the goddess of love, isn't that contradicting with your domain?"

Aphrodite's smile widened. "Why, for the drama, of course. It's so delicious! So exciting!"

Markus frowned. That wasn't what he was looking for. He agreed with Silena's notion of love. In that it should be special and shared. "Doesn't Silena speak differently? Why can't you believe in her notion?"

Aphrodite's smile dimmed. "Silena is one of my favourite daughters. Her take on love is one of the reasons why."

"Then why allow your other daughters to go against that?" Markus frowned in confusion. "Love is meant to be sacred. It's... it's supposed to be something beautiful. Something that'll make men wage wars to preserve what they love... I've been spending too much time around Silena."

"But the drama is more _fun_!" the goddess insisted. "It's something that fans the flames of a relationship! Makes it interesting-"

"No, it doesn't," Markus disagreed. "It brings nothing but sorrow and trouble into the relationship. In fact, there probably wouldn't be a relationship in the first place. You're wrong."

Aphrodite frowned, her seductive aura fading quickly. "Are you telling me, the goddess of love, that I'm wrong about love?" she silently asked, tension rising in the limousine.

Markus nodded without any reprieve. "Yes. I think it's stupid. Now I see why Artemis doesn't like you. You're horrible."

Aphrodite's eyes glowed in anger, narrowing. "You don't want to insult me, demigod. I have ruined people for even less than what you have done."

"Proving that you're just like the Olympians," Markus retorted. "Annoying, arrogant and foolish. Why do you think that I refuse to save any of you? The only thing that you're all good for is causing heartache, despair and death because of the stupidest of reasons!"

A hot pink aura surrounded Aphrodite as she glared at Markus, who didn't react to her display of power. "You think that you can insult _me_ and get away with it?!" she practically screamed. "Me?! The goddess of love and beauty?! I _will_ make you suffer for that! Damn what Zeus and Poseidon say, I'll make you wish that you had never insulted me! First, I will make sure that you and Silena are _through_! You will suffer the greatest heartache known to man! Then Thalia! She will hate you for all eternity! I'll curse you to never find love or happiness again! You will be found repulsive by anyone you see! And all those girls that you love?! They will be nothing but _WHORES_!"

As the goddess threatened him, Markus' eyes were burning red. At the end of her speech, his eyes were crimson supernovas.

The limousine exploded with power, startling Ares, Percy and the others as they came running out to find out what was wrong. What they saw would give them nightmares for months.

Aphrodite was being held by a colossal black giant made with an armour of bones and made out of energy. It was ten metres high, and released a miasma of blood and death. It was similar to the spectre Markus had at camp, only this was real. It was black in colour. And it was _terrifying_.

The goddess of love was held in one of its giant hands, screaming in pain as the miasma burned her body. It didn't leave a mark on her body, yet it ached with agony. Inside the giant, Markus was there. But he looked drastically different. His Devil Bringer was out, and was pulsing with rage. The tattoos on it lit up and was armoured. Half the side of his face was covered in black scales. They looked like they belonged on a dragon. His teeth were now fangs that were bared at Aphrodite. His eyes were pure crimson, as if Satan himself had possessed him. The shocking part? He had black horns on his head. They were curved like a ram's own.

Ares tried to attack the colossal giant, but it moved with frightening speed. It's other hand gripped the now struggling god in its grip. Both Olympians struggled to remove themselves from his grip. Markus, however, only paid attention to Aphrodite. He didn't even move when the giant bent down towards Ares, and practically _chomped_ down on his upper half. Without any grace or finesse, the demonic giant ripped the god of war in half savagely. It opened its mouth wider and chewed on the half of Ares. The lower half was nothing but a pair of legs that had the ends of a spine attached. Ichor became a shower as the giant dropped the lower half of the now dead god of war.

Markus didn't even look at Ares as the process went down. He just looked at Aphrodite, who was now scared shitless. " **Be thankful that you are Silena's mother and that she cares for you** ," Markus spoke with barely restrained fury. " **Otherwise I would make sure that you would be _burn_ for eternity. However, I have a fitting punishment for you**."

Markus made the giant lower the struggling goddess. Not wasting time, Markus grabbed her face was his Devil Bringer. Instead of crushing her skull, Markus gave an evil fanged grin. " _ **Rot...**_ "

It was silent for a moment, before Aphrodite screamed and howled in absolute agony. The others flinched at the screams and brutal display from before. Even the Hunters feared for Aphrodite. All of them were terrified of Markus. His looks, the demonic giant, his aura, _everything_ _._

When Markus finished, he removed his hand. And what was revealed made the others almost throw up.

The goddess' face was unrecognisable. Her skin was burnt, as if poison had splashed on her face. It was so burnt that bits of her skeleton was revealed and flesh loosely hung from her face. Her flawless skin looked like the face of a tortured corpse. Her eyes were burnt and bleeding badly. Her lips were scarred heavily and looked as if she had consumed poison. They were practically non-existent now. Her hair was ruined and nothing but useless straw clinging to her scalp. Her nose was disfigured heavily.

Aphrodite wailed and cried out at the pain and the fact that her face was ruined.

" **How do you like one of my demonic spells? I just call it 'Rot'. I know, not very original or classy, but it gets the job done**." Markus slowly lost his grin. " **Now... you will live the rest of your immortal life as a corpse. Uglier than even Hephaestus. No one will want you. No one will gaze upon you with lust, but with horror and disgust. No one will even _touch_ you. That is my punishment for you. Instead of the goddess of love, you'll practically be _nothing_**." Markus snarled that last part. Wisps of smoke billowed from his mouth. " **And if you EVER touch anyone I care about, I will destroy you. If I suspect so much as an inkling of you interfering with my relationships, be it with any girl or the ones I love, I will make it so that you will be fucking the most ugliest, horrendous corpse in the Underworld. And be nothing but it's plaything for _eternity_. Interfere in my life, I ruin you. And harm _anyone_ I care about, I will seal your vagina with hellfire and make sure that you can't fuck any man or woman again. And let Zeus know...**" Markus leaned in to whisper into Aphrodite's horrified face. " **... Olympus will be _razed_ and be nothing but a bad dream. And it's all _your_ fault**."

His piece said, Markus commanded the giant to rear it's hand back and launch Aphrodite in the air, creating a sonic boom. The flying goddess will head straight for Olympus.

So furious and practically _livid_ at the goddess who _dared_ threaten his girlfriends and the other girls he loved, Markus reared back his head and roared to the sky in anger, his demonic avatar doing the same thing.

 **Wow... So much blood spilt. Two gods killed in one chapter. And the Olympians are rightfully screwed. And it's all their fault.**

 **Hope y'all liked the chapter. Lots of ass-kicking for Heracles, with a violent death at the end. And with Ares as well. Not to mention Aphrodite looking like a burnt corpse that was tortured and disfigured for shits and giggles. ... Yeah.**

 **Nothing really big to say. Except Markus is the newly dubbed 'King of Heroes' as well as the future Harem King. Awesome titles. And next chapter the questers will venture into Hephaestus' junkyard and meet the one freed from the frozen jail. I really hope that you guys guess well.**

 **Review time ~**

 **1) I like your guess very well. I have read Dante's Inferno, and know the ultimate big bad of that pantheon. Though it has nothing to do with Dante's Inferno. It's actually a mythological character found in the... well, I won't spoil it for you. The only clue I'll give you is that he/she/it is found in an anime.**

 **2) Markus can already kill immortals on his own. Adding the Ophiotaurus will be complete overkill. So much overkill that it would be absolutely ridiculous. And this is coming from the owner of a character who can kill gods and send the world into an early Armageddon. Given enough time, that is.**

 **3) Thanks for the tidbit on the pantheon idea. And going to the God of War universe... I mean I guess so. The universe is already fictional here, so it wouldn't make sense to put it as an alternate dimension. Then again, I could do it. Oh, and Markus would wreck Kratos, true. And I do go through with it (not saying yes), it would be interesting to change the fate of God of War.**

 **4) You were half right. The second half of your guess wouldn't go because Heracles hasn't heard of Markus or his feats yet. And really sorry about nto having Zoe shoot him in the knee. When you reviewed that, I already had his death written out. Would've been damn awesome, though.**

 **5) Cocaine is a powerful drug. Do not underestimate its power or glory.**

 **6) I do have a lot of DMC stuff to put here, since I'm a huge fan of the series. And as for your question, I think... either a pick from Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail or Attack on Titan. I mainly picked those choices because if I gave more choices, I'd make a big-ass paragraph. And these were the ones I could think of from the top of my head. For several reasons. You can guess why. As for DBS's Tournament of Power, Markus could... probably beat a good amount of fighters. I'm going to be honest, while he is OP, this is DBS we're talking about. Goku, Vegeta, almost half of Universe 7, etc., would beat him. Most of Universe 11 he could beat (at least, the somewhat irrelevant ones. I.e. excluding Jiren, Toppo and Dyspo). The irrelevant or the not so strong characters he could wipe out. If he wanted to, he could kill them with blood control (and this is a big maybe) but since there's a no-killing rule, it could go either way.**

 **7) Thanks so much for the suggestions! Seriously, I like reading new fanfiction almost as much as I do writing it! I've read the top two, but the rest I'm still reading. Thanks so much for that, gives me more reading time!**

 **8) Glad that you liked the last chapter. Hope you like this one. Unfortunately, you didn't get to see the mother of all curb-stomps given to Heracles by Zoe, Thalia, Markus and Percy. On the bright side, he died a brutal death and was blown the fuck up, DBZ style. So, that's something.**

 **Alrighty! Now, thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story! Now, taking a small break from Arcane Chaos. No personal reason, just wanna update Celestial Ascension more. For those panicked by this and are no doubt going to become impatient (which makes me warm and fuzzy inside), fear not! I can multitask. Just more chapters produced for CA.**

 **Thanks! Read and Review!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43:**

The shockwave from the roar Markus' demonic avatar made the demigods, satyr and Hunters fall to their knees in shock, covering their ears. They were confused as to what he was furious about. One minute, he was talking to Aphrodite in her limousine. The next, he summoned a black demonic giant, brutally butchered Ares and mutilated Aphrodite. All while looking like a demon. They wanted to ask what was wrong, but were unable to do that.

Markus continued to roar in anger, and then started cackling insanely, like a shitty supervillain. He didn't remember if he was ever this angry. He was going to go nuclear. He was going to pull Olympus from the sky and destroy everything. Gods, nymphs, other beings, _everything_. But why stop there? He could go destroy the Titans, go down to Tartarus and get rid of any remaining piece of Kronos that there was. And then he'd wipe out Western civilisation. Screw the Olympians! Screw the Titans! He was going to destroy _all of them_! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WERE GUILTY AND DESERVED TO DIE! THEY WERE DISEASES! THEY WERE SICKNESSES! **AND HE'D GLADLY WIPE THEM ALL OUT!**

Markus continued cackling madly as his avatar roared, growing in size and power. His eyes were nothing but scarlet supernovas. His anger was clouding his judgement, along with the use of demonic power. The result was his mind slowly fracturing. The power was getting to his head. The anger, at it's peak, was stripping him of all rational thought and replacing it with destructive thoughts. This was the result. Complete and utter insanity.

The black scales on his face started growing slowly, trying to cover his face. His demonic output kept on increasing. The atmosphere was suddenly turning evil, and the others felt this. The ground hissed and bubbled, hellfire gathering at his feet and quickly spreading. Black water started pouring from thin air, eating at the ground like acid. His black aura started glowing emerald green, until the two colours combined together due to the mix of demonic and godly energies mixing. The end result wasn't going to be pretty.

Seeing this, Percy grew alarmed. "We have to stop him!" he yelled out, trying to get the others to hear over the shockwaves.

"How?!" Grover yelled, pointing at the black flames and water. "Whatever's happened to him, he's completely gone insane! We'll die if we even try to get close!"

When he finished, the world started shaking heavily. A large earthquake was building up, threatening to destroy the surroundings. Lightning flashed, before striking down around the area. A few stray bolts got too close to them. Thalia quickly stepped forward and intercepted them.

"We have to stop him!" she shouted, struggling to hold the firing bolts. "He'll destroy everything and everyone at this point!"

"What do you expect us to do?!" Adria screamed, not afraid to admit that she was terrified. "None of us are powerful enough to stop him!"

The situation slowly turning hopeless, Percy and Thalia looked at each other, silently communicating with each other. With a nod, both of them ran towards Markus, the others screaming at them to come back.

The two demigods only made it close enough to stop in front of the black flames. "Markus!" Percy shouted. "Stop this!"

Markus continued cackling, his eyes looking at them. Both children of the Big Three flinched at the amount of anger in his eyes, along with the insanity.

Thalia tried this time. "Markus, please! You'll kill everyone! Don't do this!"

Their words weren't reaching him. Instead, the amount of power being released increased drastically, making both of their skins crawl and made them almost faint from the amount of power being given off. It surpassed anything they'd ever felt. To Percy, the amount of power surpassed Hades', Poseidon's and Zeus' power easily. And it kept growing.

Markus flicked his hand and the black water rose to his command, trying to drown them. While Thalia moved away quickly, Percy tried to control the water, which didn't work. He let the water hit him, not expecting it to harm him. He was wrong. He screamed in pain as the black water touched his skin and doused him completely. His body felt like it was poured in acid. He fell in a heap, convulsing.

"Percy!" Thalia screamed, checking up on him. She could see him coughing and hacking, as if he'd injected poison. His skin was turning blue, his body pale.

"What's going on?!" Grover yelled, running along with the Hunters to the others. Adria quickly inspected Percy, seeing his condition.

She frowned, seeing his shivering and feverish form. "What happened?"

Thalia quickly told her. "He got hit by that black water."

"But he's the son of Poseidon! How can water affect him negatively?" Grover questioned, confused.

"I don't know," Zoe frowned, looking at the cackling and demonic-looking Markus. Scales had almost completely covered his face and body. "But we need to stop him. And the only way is to kill him."

"Are you insane, Nightshade?!" Thalia yelled while Grover gasped.

"It's the only way," Zoe reasoned. "I don't know what caused him to become like this, but whatever it was, made him go insane. We can't reason with him, and if he's willing to attack you two, then he's obviously lost it."

"No way!" Thalia denied immediately, furious. "We're not killing him! I refuse!"

"Even if we did agree to killing him, how would we do it?" Adria asked Zoe. "None of us can touch him. And we can't overpower him."

"We have to do something, or else armageddon is going to be released soon!" Grover yelled.

Looking around, none of them knew what to do. They had to do something, or Markus could potentially destroy the world.

Thalia growled. "Screw it!" She jumped towards Markus, using the wind to boost her.

"Thalia!" Grover yelled in shock while the Hunters were surprised.

Thalia flew over the wall of black flames and water, landing at Markus' side. The power rolling off of him made her want to buckle, but she endured. "Markus, snap out of it!" she yelled. Markus continued roaring and laughing at the same time. His spectral giant raised its fist, aiming to strike her. She rolled away from the strike, cratering the ground where she was previously.

Stunned and angry that he tried to kill her, she continued yelling at him. "What the Hades is wrong with you?! Snap out of it and stop acting crazy! Are you so out of it that you would harm your brother?!"

At the word 'brother', Markus' eyes widened. He scrunched up his face, as if trying to remember that he had a brother.

Seeing this, Thalia pressed on. "That's right. You have a brother, remember? Percy? You hurt him! He could potentially die!"

Markus face showed surprise as the insanity was clearing from his eyes. The demonic avatar wobbled, diminishing in power.

"Please, don't destroy the world! Stop acting bat-shit insane, and come back to us! To me. Please." Thalia's voice turned to a whisper at the end, yet Markus was still able to hear her. There were slight tears in her eyes. She didn't know what was going on with him, but she couldn't leave him like this. He was hurting, she could tell. She didn't want Markus to turn into something that he'd regret or do something that he could never forgive himself for.

Immediately, the hellfire and black water disappeared as quickly as they appeared. The world stopped shaking, and the sky became clear of any lightning. And the aura that Markus was producing vanished.

Markus gasped as his black giant disappeared. He grunted, closing his eyes. Immediately, the scales on his face and body receded to his left arm. Although, his Devil Bringer still pulsed with power, and a couple of scales started to build up on his collarbone. The horns on his head receded as well. When Markus opened his eyes, they were sea-green again. All the anger had cleared from his mind.

Markus dismissed his Devil Bringer as he moved, bringing Thalia into a hug. She flinched slightly, making Markus guilty. Then she returned the hug. They didn't do or say anything else. They just held each other, rocking back and forth slightly.

For a few moments, the couple didn't say anything. Then Markus muttered, "Thank you. So much."

"It's alright," Thalia replied, rubbing his back. "Next time, if you do that again, I'll destroy what makes you a man."

Markus laughed, knowing that she was worried. "I'm sorry."

They were enjoying each other's embrace, content. That is until Grover shouted at them. "Hey! Percy's still injured!"

Markus' eyes went wide as saucers as he sped to where Percy was. Seeing his condition, Markus wasted no time. He placed a hand on Percy's chest. "Pāji (Purge)," he muttered. A golden glow emanated from his palm as he healed his brother. The others watched, stunned.

Percy gasped suddenly, his skin returning to its original tan. The negative effects from the black water were fading at a rapid pace. In just a few seconds, he was back to normal.

Done with his healing, Markus placed a hand on his chest, where his heart was. Gathering lightning, not enough to injure him, he poked at the spot.

Percy shot upwards, breathing heavily and trying to grasp oxygen. He held his chest, his heart beating. Markus held him steady, patting his back.

"You okay?" he asked guiltily. Percy slowly frowned, trying to get his heart to stop beating so fast.

"Y-Yeah," he nodded shakily. He looked to his brother, and punched him in the gut. Not expecting this, Markus grunted.

"That was for almost killing me, asshole," Percy said, glaring. Markus chuckled, though there was no humour in his tone.

"I deserved that," he muttered, helping Percy stand up. Percy looked at Markus, inspecting him. "So... you're not going to go crazy again?"

Markus shook his head firmly. "No. And sorry about that. I... just snapped."

"Would thou tell us what made thee... act like that?" Zoe asked, crossing her arms. The others looked expectantly at him as well.

Markus frowned, remembering what made him snap. "Let's just say that the Olympians fucked up. Big time."

"We're going to need a little more than that," Thalia said, frowning.

Reluctantly, Markus told them about what happened in the limousine, word for word. At the end, Zoe, Adria and Thalia looked disgusted and furious. Percy and Grover were shocked as well as disgusted.

"I... I can't believe that she'd do that," Percy muttered, feeling sick at what he'd heard.

Zoe scoffed. "And thou wonders why I cannot stand that bitch."

Markus raised an eyebrow at Zoe when she said that. Zoe - seeing this - suddenly flinched, remembering their conversation the last time.

Thalia looked worried. "What if she tries to curse you? Or... make us move apart?" she said quietly, afraid of that outcome. She was happy being with Markus along with Silena. Although she wasn't looking forward to sharing him with other girls, but she could manage. If Aphrodite decided to ruin all of that...

Markus walked to her, holding her hand and looking into her eyes. "She will not touch _any_ of you," he said, though the others were confused at his words. Thalia seemed to understand what he was saying. "I will not let her. She has doomed Olympus anyway. That, along with my curse, will be nothing if she were to do anything. Then I'd destroy her."

"W-What do you mean Olympus is doomed?" Grover stuttered.

Markus looked at Zoe and Adria, then to Percy, who seemed to know what he meant. He looked to Zoe. "Do you know of the Great Prophecy?"

Zoe seemed to be in thought for a moment, before she said, "No. I have heard inklings of it, but not the whole thing."

Nodding, Markus told all of them. Well, the ones that didn't know. "The Great Prophecy talks about how a child of the Big Three will save or destroy Olympus when they reach sixteen."

Stunned, Grover and the Hunters looked at Percy, Thalia and Markus in shock. "W-What?" Adria simply said.

"I won't bother you with the lore or details, but that's what it entails. Of the three of us, Thalia is the only one close enough to sixteen. However," here, he turned to look at said girl, "I refuse to allow her to take on the prophecy."

Now everyone was stunned. "B-But you said-" Thalia started to say, shocked at her boyfriend's declaration.

"That I would be there for you. That has not changed. I intend to keep that promise. However, the prophecy says that you also die. I will not let that happen. At all. Even if there was a slight chance that you would still live, I wouldn't let you tackle the prophecy. I'll take you place." Here, a mad glint appeared in his eyes. "And then I'll destroy Olympus."

"What?!" they all exclaimed, stunned. They knew that he didn't like Olympus. They didn't blame him, since the gods tried to have him killed on Zeus' orders, along with the ordeal of Aphrodite. But to think that he'd willingly destroy them...

"Traitor!" Zoe shouted out, bow raised. The others - except Adria, who got her bow out - looked at her.

"Nightshade, put your bow down, now!" Thalia yelled, drawing out her spear and Aegis.

The Hunter turned to glare at the girl. "Clearly, thou infatuation is blinding thy sight! He just admitted to be a traitor and destroying the Olympians! Including milady!"

Markus scoffed. "Can't be a traitor if I was never loyal to Olympus in the first place." He looked to both of the Hunters who were ready to strike. "Thalia, it's fine."

"But-" "It's fine," he said firmly to her. He stepped forward, not bothered by the tension in the air. "Thanks for coming to my defense, but they're only doing this because they want to defend Artemis. That's admirable. However," Markus turned to look at them, "it's futile. It doesn't matter if I'm sixteen or not. I'll start the prophecy and take control of it. By killing the gods."

"You disgusting and vile pig!" Adria barked, arrow at the ready. "You would condemn everyone on Olympus to your petty rage!"

"Petty?" he said quietly. Then the air got heavy. This wasn't bloodlust, but Markus' mere presence. "First of all, only the Olympians would be killed. And even then, only the ones who participated in wanting to kill me will die. The rest I don't care about unless they also want to kill me. Then they're fair game. And secondly, do you really think that I should spare them when they have expressed their desire to have me dead. On the orders of a foolish king who is acting the same way as his father."

At the sky booming, Markus just looked up at the sky. He shrugged. "I'm not wrong," he called out to Zeus. "You can blast me if you want. It'll only make me more convinced to come up there and kill all of you."

The sky rumbled, but no lightning flashed.

Markus then looked to the Hunters. "As I was saying. The Olympians have done nothing but cause misery and despair. They don't act any different than the Titans who ruled before them. In fact, they're worse. At least Kronos and the others were honest about their intent to be cruel. The Olympians sprout out lies about how they'd be better when they're nothing but hypocrites, liars and rapists. Their arrogance is the reason for their downfall, and it'll come soon. That, I'll ensure."

The air got heavy with tension. Percy, Grover and Thalia had contemplative looks on their faces. They agreed with what Markus was saying. But they were unsure if killing the Olympians will yield any results. And these were they're parents they were talking about.

"Markus," Percy said, sounding unsure. "You're sounding exactly like Luke."

He flinched as soon as he said that, along with the other two. They knew that he hated Luke, even if he was dead. So Percy comparing the two was bound to make him mad.

Seeing this, Markus frowned. "Percy," he said seriously. "I'm _nothing_ like Luke. While I understand his hatred for the Olympians, something I now share, I refuse to betray any of you or raise the Titans. Both are just as bad as each other."

This seemed to relieve them, but only slightly.

He then turned to the Hunters. "Put down your bows. I have no desire to kill any of you over a stupid goddess."

At that, they began to shoot their arrows, but stopped their movements. This wasn't due to their actions, however.

Markus frowned as he glared at them, using blood control. "That wasn't a request." He then commanded them to drop their weapons. "Now, we're going to continue this farce of a quest. The only reason is because there's someone ahead that I'm going to face. 'The one free from the frozen jail'. I'm not going to tempt fate by leaving and letting you guys face him or her. But first, we'll rest. We'll wait till the sun is up. Then we can rescue your goddess and then I'll destroy Olympus."

If looks could kill, then Markus would be disintegrated at the looks that Zoe and Adria were giving him. Nevertheless, he forced them to walk and sit down.

He then turned to the others, who looked concerned. "Guys," he said, catching their attention. "I know that what I'm doing seems drastic and extreme, and you might not agree with it. That's fine. Just know that I'll never leave or betray you guys. I promise you that."

They all nodded, reassured. While they knew that anger and greed were his fatal flaws, they also knew that he would do anything to help his friends.

Once he made sure that Percy and Grover were okay - along with setting everything up for camp - Markus shared a sleeping tent with Thalia. When their tent was closed, he kissed her. While she was stunned, she reciprocated. Both of them fell onto their mattress and continued making out. Markus' hands roamed across her body, settling on her hips. His fingers were just near her ass, wiggling. This had the affect of making Thalia laugh and moan at the same time, allowing Markus to take advantage. His tongue was like a moist snake, slithering into every nook and cranny of her mouth.

Pulling back, both of them panted slightly. Thalia was left breathless, any time that he kissed her. Markus just stared lovingly and possessively at her.

Getting her breath back, she spoke. "Is this because of Aphrodite?"

Markus nodded, not bothering to hide anything. "I'm not worried. I'm just... I want to make sure that you - and the others - are alright. If I detect anything that I find suspicious happen to them, I'll go to Aphrodite and wipe her from existence."

Thalia rolled her eyes, but her heart warmed at his words. She was glad that he was extremely worried for them all, even if she didn't show it. "Relax, Barnacle Brain. We're big girls. We can take care of ourselves. Besides, it's not like you can know what goes on with all of us at every moment..." Her words died when she saw that he still had his serious expression. "You do, don't you?"

"Yes," Markus answered, though he was smiling lightly. "I get that I'm acting like a stalker, but there's a reason for what I did. It's... sort of a plan I have. A backup plan."

"You going to tell me what it is?" Thalia asked, annoyed and slightly thankful at the same time. She knew that her boyfriend had secrets. She could live with that. Everybody had secrets. Though they did annoy her.

Markus grinned. "Patience, sweetheart. The surprise will unfold when the time is right."

She glared while he chuckled. "Okay, okay. But I'm serious. When it unfolds, you'll know. I promise."

That got her to calm down, but only slightly. She decided to ask another question. "Are you really going to destroy Olympus?"

"Only a select few Olympians," Markus corrected. "Maybe half of the Olympian council. But yes. And I'm finding it very hard to change my mind." He decided to ask a question of his own. "Do you love Zeus?"

"I..." her words failed her. Truthfully, she didn't love Zeus. He was never there for her when she was still living with her bitch of a mother and dealing with Jason. Only a few times did she see him, and he didn't even acknowledge her. When she was on the run, he never answered her prayers for help. The only thing he actually ever did for her was turn her into a tree. Not even a lightning bolt, but a fucking tree.

So no, she didn't love Zeus. In fact, the only reason that she didn't want Markus to kill the Olympians was because of the consequences. While she knew that he could handle and kill gods, he couldn't stand up to the combined might of Olympus. And if he did kill them, then what about the Titans? They could use that chance to attack Camp Half-Blood or destroy Olympus, throwing the world into chaos.

"I don't," she finally answered. "I'm just worried about you."

"You're worried about me killing the Olympians and possibly dying," Markus said knowingly. "Or about the war with the Titans." Thalia nodded slowly. "Thalia, you don't need to worry. I don't plan on leaving you or the other girls alone. Trust me. Thanatos and Hades themselves will have to drag me kicking and screaming, and I'd still defy them." Kissing her forehead, he relieved her worries. "Now, let's not talk about the quest or Olympus. I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" Thalia asked, curious.

Smiling, Markus spoke. "When the quest is finished, do you want to go to a Green Day concert for your birthday? They're doing world tour around America and they're playing in New York around your birthday, which is a crazy coincidence."

Thalia was shocked for a moment, before her face showed happiness. Happiness that belonged to a teenage girl and not a demigod warrior. "Really?!" she squealed, before clearing her throat. Markus still looked at her knowingly with a smirk, making Thalia threaten him with her eyes. "I'd love to go. Are you asking me on a date, Mr. Henderson?"

"Why of course, Ms... I just realised that I don't know your last name," Markus said with realisation. At his words, Thalia's face fell. Something Markus noticed. "I'm sorry," he apologised, knowing that her past and surname was a sore subject for her.

"No, it's... it's okay." Thalia sighed with sudden weariness. "You told me of your past. It's only fair I tell you about mine."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Markus offered.

"But I _want_ to," Thalia insisted. Markus sighed, cuddling with her as she started to tell him about her past.

"I… had a little brother." Thalia started softly, eyes lost in memories long ago. "He was about seven years younger. You see, after I was born, Zeus left my mum. She went into a huge depression. You couldn't not see with some booze on hand. Her career went to shit, and that just made the booze all that more enticing." Thalia took a shuddering breath, "Seven years later, Zeus came back… but he was weirder, more fatherly yet stern. He also spoke Latin a lot."

Markus' eyes went wide at that last remark, though he didn't let Thalia see his expression. It seemed that Zeus was Jupiter the second time he visited. That meant that... suddenly, an idea was forming in his head, but he focused on Thalia's story. "So you knew that he was Zeus then?"

Thalia nodded, "Not at first, but Mum loved to boast about it when she got really drunk. How she got together with the king of the gods. Like she was something special." The daughter of Zeus spat, sneering "Trust me, she wasn't. Anyway, Zeus came back. And later on, Jason was born. I though, stupidly, that maybe things would get better." She slowly closed her eyes and after a moment opened them. "They didn't. Zeus left again, she kept pestering him for eternal beauty, or to visit Olympus. The whole house reeked of alcohol from that point on." Thalia's hands balled, her nails digging into Markus' back slightly, but he ignored it. "She couldn't even take care of Jason, I did all that. I... I wanted to give him the love he deserved… That I didn't get." She felt feeling a struggle to press on. Markus kept rubbing her back comfortingly. Swallowing, Thalia steeled herself.

"Mum, she was just too unstable. After three years, I tried to do everything I could for Jason." Thalia's shoulders slumped, "But with her, it was taking care of two babies. I just couldn't stand her. The only reason I stayed was for Jason. Suddenly, Mum wanted to go on a picnic, I was stunned. We never vacationed. Ever. But she was insistent on going. Once again, I stupidly thought she was trying to change. We went to Sonoma Valley, nice little place, peaceful. All those birds and squirrels and stuff." Thalia's tone tightened, her eyes gaining a dark glint.

"She was holding Jason, very rare, showering him with attention. She told me to go get the picnic basket from the car. I did. When I came back though… she was sitting on the stone steps, crying. She told me Jason was dead." Thalia growled out, "I thought she'd finally lost her mind… I searched for hours, all day. He was gone." She said this in a defeated tone, but righteous fury soon took hold. "When we got back, I blew the whistle on her. The cops came. They questioned her for a long time, but she wasn't arrested, no matter what I told them." Her jaw jumped in frustration at remembering it all, eyes glazing over in memory.

"Then, she turned onto me. She was screeching about how I'd betrayed her. How I should've sided with her. How it was the right choice!" she snapped at the end. Markus simply held her left hand gently, squeezing it slightly. "I just... lost it. It was the last straw. I zapped her with lightning." Markus wasn't bothered by what she'd done. He didn't judge her, only comforting her. Thalia's heart soared at this, as she continued. Damn drunk went sailing through the air like a rag doll.

"I then left. Drained every bottle of booze she had along with some cash." Thalia finished her story, trying to keep a strong face.

Markus just held her, using his magic to act as a cocoon around the both of them. Finally, he said, "At least I know that you were a badass then."

Both of them laughed at that, making the sad atmosphere almost fade. Then Thalia had talked about Jason himself. About how he'd tried to eat a stapler when he was two, and ended up with a scar on his upper lip. Markus laughed at that, imagining what had happened. She also told him about how he used to wear Superman footie pajamas as a kid. He knew that she was doing this to remind herself about the good things from her past. Then the two of them just hugged each other in the end, falling into a comfortable silence. Finally, Markus spoke. "Thank you for telling me that. I know that it wasn't easy. And I know that your life was pretty shitty, no thanks to Zeus. But know that I'll do my damn best to make sure that you have a much better future. While you may have lost your family then, you have a family now. At Camp. With Annie and Blue Boy. With me. I'll make sure that you'll have something to look forward to in the future, and make Zeus pay for what he did to you."

"You know just the thing to say to make a girl feel better," Thalia said sarcastically. "Tell her that you'll kill her dad for her."

"I have a way with words," Markus nodded, amusement in his eyes. He then kissed her lightly, Thalia doing the same thing. They disengaged, looking into each other's eyes. Both containing love for each other.

"I love you," Markus said deeply. He wanted to let her know that someone loved her. Her mother probably never said the words. Her brother was dead (presumably). And her father was Zeus. Enough said. So he wanted her to know that there was someone who loved her for who she was.

Knowing this, Thalia felt tears at her eyes, something that she didn't mind at the moment. "I love you, too."

The two held each other like a newlywed couple. Both falling asleep.

 **XXX**

Markus' essence was brought forth to a dream. Joy.

He was standing on the hill near the Garden of the Hesperides. Meaning that the hill he was standing on was Mount Othrys. He also saw Artemis, struggling to hold up what looked to be a swirling black funnel cloud.

Markus walked forward, his astral form nearing the goddess' struggling form. "Kind of sad, isn't it?" he asked mockingly.

Artemis looked up, seeing who had come this time. When she saw who it was, she flinched. She almost lost her hold of the sky, but caught herself. "You! What are you doing here?" She tried to sound righteous and proud. But she was a shadow of herself. All he heard was weariness.

"I didn't have a choice," Markus told her. "Though I should thank him or her, since I get to see your pitiful self." Artemis glared, but couldn't do much of anything else.

"You're welcome, then," a voice said behind him. Markus turned to see Atlas, along with a demigod with an eyepatch.

Markus smiled. "Hello, Atlas. How are you? I hope that you haven't suffered too much. What, with Luke's death and all."

Atlas glared, his aura emanating from his form due to his rage. The demigod beside him stepped back quickly. "Ah, yes," the Titan said, gritting his teeth. "While you did throw a wretch in Lord Kronos' plans, we will not be stopped. There'll be more of our allies waiting for you, waiting to kill you filth and retrieve either the other child of Poseidon or Zeus."

"Mind telling me who they are?" Markus asked with an easy-going smile on his face. Atlas sneered.

"No. I don't really feel that I'm in a giving mood."

Markus clicked his teeth. "Shame. Well, then. We're probably going to face each other, even if it's saving this worthless bitch." He gestured to Artemis, who grunted. "Hopefully, your skills haven't gone rusty from holding the sky, old man."

Instead of being offended, Atlas threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Oh, don't worry, boy. A benefactor of ours has guaranteed our victory. He has given quite useful gifts to us."

Markus raised an eyebrow. "Since you're so confident, then you wouldn't mind telling the name of this 'benefactor'?"

The demigod made to interject, but Atlas glared at him, cowing him into silence. He then turned to Markus and smirked arrogantly. "Since there's no chance of you winning against us, I can tell you. If only to see the fear on your face. You may even know of him. His name is Jashin."

Markus' eyes went wide as he heard the name while Atlas laughed seeing this. What the fuck was the god of pain, death and destruction doing helping the Titans? If that were the case, then Susanoo had to know of this _now._

Markus glared at the arrogant Titan. "Just because you have Jashin helping you doesn't mean shit. We're still going to face you, we're still going to kick your ass. Nothing more, nothing less."

And with that, Markus removed himself from the dream. Now, he sent his essence across the globe, putting his earlier thoughts at the moment aside to make a quick stop, trying to find out something important.

He projected his essence to Camp Jupiter, which was something that he'd found easily. The energy from the demigods and a god were easy to pinpoint. His form was now overlooking a grassy plain and a walled city in the distance. Markus could tell that if the sun was fully up, the city would look beautiful. Annabeth would be going gaga over this place. He noted that the secret entrance of the camp was in Caldecott Tunnel. Up ahead, he could see a small river beyond the walls but not too far into the city.

He inspected the city before him, admiring the view. Then he spread out his senses, searching for a particular energy signature. He found that it was located in a garden with a statue - was that Dionysus? - sprouting water from its mouth. **(A.N. - At the time, I don't know whether Jason or Reyna were made praetors or not. Just assume they aren't at this period)**.

The person that he was looking at was sipping a cup of coffee. Two dogs - one made of silver and the other gold - hung at her side. He smiled, inspecting her features. She had dark hair and eyes. Her face showed that she was of Puerto Rican descent. She wore Roman armour that was the colour of gold, along with a Roman spatha at her side.

Markus smiled. "Well, don't you look grown up and serious?" he said in casual tone.

Immediately, she reacted. She had her sword in hand, raised to attack. Her two metal dogs now growled, standing to attention at their master's command. She froze, looking at Markus' features. Even if he was in his astral form, and was much older than he should be, she still recognised him. The one who saved her and her sister. "M-Markus?" she stammered, unsure.

Markus grinned. "Good to see you, Reyna? How are you?"

Her dogs shifted, unsure whether to attack or not. She waved her hand, telling them to stand down. "M-Markus!" she shouted in slight happiness. She made to hug him, but he held up his hand quickly. Reluctantly, she stopped, confused. "I'm not actually here. I'm speaking to you through Essence Projection. Think of it as my consciousness talking to you rather than my actual body."

Reyna frowned, her happiness fading slightly to be replaced with curiosity. "But how can you do that? From what I have experienced, only gods have been heard to do such a thing. Is this some sort of magic?"

Markus smiled lightly. "Of a sort," he answered cryptically, making her furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "But enough about me. It's good to see you. What happened since you've arrived?"

And so Reyna told him about what had happened since her and her sister were rescued. After arriving to Camp Jupiter, she had been accepted into the First Cohort (Markus had done a brief read-up of Camp Jupiter while he was training. He didn't know how Susanoo, a Shinto god, was able to get information on a Roman camp for demigods, but he wasn't complaining), being claimed as a daughter of Bellona, and living life at camp. Hylla had been offered a place to the Amazons, which were basically the Roman version of the Hunters of Artemis but slightly different.

Through her tale, Reyna was smiling widely, which was unlike how Markus had first met her. It seemed Camp Jupiter had been exactly what she had needed after Circe's Island. While the camp was much stricter than Camp Half-Blood, she still enjoyed it. Reyna had also asked how he'd been. Markus had given her a brief summary of his quests and achievements. While Reyna was surprised, she had expected as much from her saviour. Though she was slightly worried for his well-being, given that Jupiter was furious with him.

While the conversation was nice, Markus wanted to get onto the reason as to why he was here. "Reyna," he said seriously. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" she asked, seeing the serious expression on his face.

"Do you know of a boy named Jason? Scar on his lip? Possible electric-blue eyes? Son of Jupiter?"

Reyna was shocked at the questions, wondering as to how he knew of one of her friends. "Uh... yeah. He's in the Fifth Cohort. Why? And how do you know about him?"

Markus had a shocked expression on his face, before he schooled his features. So, his theory was right. Jason was alive. And at Camp Jupiter. So Zeus had visited as Jupiter and had Jason along with Thalia. And Jason's 'death' was supposedly a way for the two siblings to be separated, due to the Greek/Roman stigma. Markus had another new reason to want to kill Zeus. Because of him, he allowed Thalia to not only suffer with her bitch of a mother, but also allowed her to believe that her brother was dead. All due to his inability to quench his lust, which caused Jason to be a son of Jupiter. Markus mentally did the math in his mind. If Jason was around two when he was 'killed', and he was alive and well, then that meant that he was roughly around thirteen, Reyna's age. So he wasn't viable for the Great Prophecy, then. Which was good.

Markus quickly answered Reyna as he was thinking. "Oh, nothing. Just... I wanted to check up on him. For someone special." He decided to do something dangerous and risky. But it was worth it. "Listen, Reyna. I want you to do a personal favour for me. I'll owe you for this. I want you to tell Jason that I have information on his family. Specifically his older sister, Thalia. Tell him that I will meet him at a later time and reveal the truth to him. I swear on the River Styx." Thunder boomed in the sky due to the oath. "In those exact words."

"But, why-" "Reyna, please," Markus interrupted, a pleading tone in his voice. He _had_ to do this. After the quest. If Olympus was still standing and everything didn't go to shit. "For me. I'm begging you."

Reyna had a contemplating look on her face, before slowly nodding. "Okay. But you have to explain to me what the Pluto is going on."

"Noted," Markus smiled, relieved. "Thank you so much, Reyna. And tell Jason not to go looking for me. Once I'm done with my quest, I'll meet him." With a wink, he commanded his essence to go back to his physical body.

Markus' eyes opened instantly, noting that he was inside his tent with Thalia. Mentally checking on the wards that he had placed last night, he could tell that they were in top condition. And that it was morning.

While Markus knew that he needed to get up, he also noted how Thalia was practically using him as both a blanket and a pillow. To which he didn't mind. He could feel her breasts on his chest, along with her long and toned legs wrapped around him. Yep, he wasn't getting up. And he didn't mind one damn bit.

He made himself comfortable, enjoying the feeling of Thalia pressed up against him, easing his worries over her and the other girls. Yeah, he was going to enjoy this.

His tent flap opened up in a rush, Percy poking his head in. "Hey, guys. Time to wake u-"

A gun was aimed at him before he could finish his sentence, followed by annoyed sea-green eyes. Seeing the sight before him, Percy did the smart thing and immediately closed his mouth. He then slowly pulled his head out of the tent.

Sighing, he put his gun away, annoyed. He knew that it wasn't Percy's fault, but he wanted to enjoy this, damn it! He tried to force himself to go to sleep.

"I know you're awake," a voice said literally beside him.

Markus groaned, opening his eyes to see Thalia's amused ones. "Well, I'd actually wake up if someone wasn't so lazy."

"Can't help it. It's not my fault that I'm being spoiled by my wizard boyfriend." She then stretched, arms raised in the air. Markus enjoyed the frontal view of her chest puffed out. He really did.

"Perv," she said without even looking at him, finished her stretching.

Markus shrugged. "Can't be blamed. I'm a growing teenage boy."

"Is that why I can feel something poking against my thigh?" Thalia commented with a deadpanned look, though she was blushing.

"That's morning wood. Nothing to do with my actions," Markus smiled. "Though, we do have to get up."

"Don' wanna...," she mumbled, flopping onto the soft mattress that he had conjured beforehand.

A devious look in his eyes, Markus flipped over, pinning her arms and legs. She nearly shouted in surprise. "Markus, what the hell?!"

"Well, princess. If you don't plan on getting up, I'm going to have to _convince_ you." Grinning like a madman, Markus bent down and started kissing and sucking on her neck, making her moan loudly.

 **XXX**

The questers stood, ready to move on. Though the Hunters were impatiently tapping their feet. "When will they wake up?" Grover asked. He turned to Percy. "Didn't you tell them to wake up?"

Here Percy snorted. "I did. But Markus put a gun to my head. Seriously, he is so lazy."

"Nothing wrong with that," Markus commented, Thalia following him. They all noticed that Markus was grinning and Thalia had a slightly dazed expression on her face. They also noticed that she had a couple of hickeys on her neck and collarbone. It was obvious as to what they had been up to.

Grover blushed a little as Percy smiled a little, giving him a thumbs up. Markus returned the gesture.

Adria snarled. "I can't believe this! You made us wait all because you were merely toying with your love-struck bitch. I pity her, being in love with a monster like you." Immediately, the blood vessels in her left arm and leg - along with almost half of her body - ruptured violently. She shrieked as she collapsed instantly, blood erupting like a volcano. Zoe was immediately at her side, alarmed.

Percy, Grover and Thalia were shocked at the sudden display as Markus walked forward, grinning like a loon. Trying something different, he summoned darkness using his Yin tattoo, the ground turning pitch black. Zoe was alarmed as she felt her and Adria sinking into the darkness, the Hunter's blood and body sinking like quicksand.

Adria was barely conscious due to the enormous pain she felt, though she was able to take note of the darkness coalescing, turning into several features. Dozens of red eyes. Several mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth. And Markus looking down at her, still grinning and eyes red.

" **You're right** ," he said, voice thick was bloodlust. " **I am a monster**. **And I damn well enjoy it**. **But let's make one thing clear**." Here, Markus grabbed her face, making her look at him directly through her pain. Zoe was also trapped by the darkness, so she couldn't do anything." **If you call Thalia a bitch again - or do anything to annoy me - I will rupture every blood vessel in your body, only to repair them again, and repeat the process, _slowly._ You would still live, if only to suffer again and again. And I will make you all the more willing to live off of pain. Do I make myself clear, you pathetic and pitiful mongrel**?"

Adria's BITCH tattoo burned as she cried out, crying in agony. She couldn't do anything but cry out, a miserable and pitiful mess. Markus immediately recalled the darkness and bloodlust, leaving the Hunter to cry in a pool of her own blood. Half of her body was still bleeding tremendously. The only reason that she was still alive was because Markus was halting most of the bloodflow in her body, so she wouldn't die of blood loss. She was still suffering, though.

Markus scoffed, walking away to deal with something. "You're a healer, aren't you? Heal yourself, then. And Nightshade." Here he turned to a shivering Zoe. "Just because I don't want to kill you for your devotion to Artemis, doesn't mean I won't torture you. Remember that."

And with that, he walked off, telling the others that he'd be back. When he was far away from them, he controlled the water from the air to form a sort of mirror. Allowing it to fully form, he made to talk with someone. A figure was quickly forming in the mirror. It was the god Susanoo, who was in a Shinto temple. Probably meditating or something.

"Susanoo-sama," Markus greeted, alerting the god of his presence through the water-mirror.

"Markus. It is nice to see you. What brings you to want to see me?" he asked, slightly surprised.

Markus frowned, telling Susanoo about Jashin teaming up with the Titans. The god frowned heavily upon hearing this.

"That is indeed troublesome," he said at the end. He then looked directly at Markus. "At least for now, the good thing is that Jashin isn't directly interfering in his aid of the Titans. Certain conditions need to be met for Jashin to actually be summoned or to appear in the mortal world. Although he could be supplying the Titans power. Though since he's not directly involved, the power may not be anything big. Maybe a power boost to one of the Titans' forces. I trust you to handle it."

"I can," Markus said. "But can't you send aid to deal with Jashin's interference. I can handle it, no problem. But it is a Shinto affair, even if I'm your champion."

Here, Susanoo had an expression of anger on his face. Markus thought that he had said something to offend him, but that wasn't the case. He had anger and regret in his eyes. "Since we are gods, Shinto gods at that, we cannot directly interfere in Greek affairs, even if one of our own is involved. Jashin will be punished heavily, rest assured. Izanagi-sama will not allow this to stand. However, our aid is limited. One option is allowing our demigods to intervene but..." Susanoo turned silent at this, confusing Markus. He knew that there were Shinto demigods around, though he'd never met them. So why was Susanoo looking so regretful? "... that's not possible. And some youkai are occupied in their own affairs. Don't worry, though. If the situation turns extremely dire, I will step in, damn the laws. But I trust that you will handle this."

"I will," Markus nodded. He couldn't blame Susanoo for not being able to do much. Besides, he could handle it. This was only a surprise. Nothing serious. At least he wasn't fighting Jashin himself. Then that might've made things harder. "Thank you, Susanoo."

"You're welcome." Here, Susanoo frowned. "Although, I could sense that your powers were almost at their maximum, along with your emotions spiralling out of control. Practically all the gods here could feel it. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Markus assured. "I was just... a little pissed at someone. The situation is handled."

"If you're sure," Susanoo said warily. Then the water mirror dispersed.

Markus quickly joined the others. Despite not wanting to, Thalia had forced him to heal Adria, as her injuries were extremely fatal. Reluctantly, he healed her, though he made sure the process was extremely painful. Now both Hunters made it their priority to not antagonise him, not even looking in his direction. Though Adria was whimpering slightly, phantom feelings of pain ripping through her body.

After everything was packed up, they bravely made their way into the Junkyard of Hephaestus. They knew this due to Percy telling them and Zoe's experience. What they saw was a junk mountain.

Piles of metal objects glinted in the moonlight: broken heads of bronze horses, metal legs from human statues, smashed chariots, tons of shields and swords and other weapons, along with more modern stuff, like cars that gleamed gold and silver, refrigerators, washing machines, and computer monitors.

"Looks like a hoarder's dream place," Thalia muttered.

"Some of this stuff looks like real gold," Percy commented, looking at most of the stuff.

"That's because it is," Markus answered, still walking and inspecting the stuff. Normally, his greed would be acting up at seeing all the valuable stuff here. But he had seen and was in possession of much better things.

"Don't touch anything," Zoe warned. "This is the junkyard of the gods."

"A shame. Many people could use this junk," Percy said.

"Junk?" Grover picked up a beautiful crown made of gold, silver, and jewels. It was broken on one side, as if it had been split by an axe. "You call this junk?" He bit off a point and began to chew. "It's delicious!"

Thalia swatted it out of his hands, scolding him.

"Well, I suppose one man's trash is another's treasure…. or in Grover's case, an all you can eat buffet," Markus commented, making Percy laugh at the truth of it. Percy then had a mischievous light in his eyes.

"So... everything here is cursed?" He got nods from the Hunters and Thalia. "Then should we leave Grover here, since he ate something that could be cursed?"

Grover's face paled drastically. "C-Cursed?" he squeaked.

Markus chuckled slightly, seeing where Percy was going. He threw an arm around the satyr's shoulders. "Oh, don't worry, Grover. A little curse ain't going to keep you down. Though maybe we should drop you off here, just to be safe. What do you think, Percy?"

"I think the answer would be obvious," Percy said with a big smile, enjoying the joke.

Grover started whimpering and bleating nervously, trying to throw up what he'd eaten. It took both sons of Poseidon to reassure him that they wouldn't leave him.

The group continued on, weapons at the ready. "I don't like this place," Thalia said. She gripped the shaft of her spear.

"You think we're going to get attacked by killer refrigerators?" Percy asked.

She gave me a hard look. "Things get thrown away here for a reason, Percy. Now come on, let's get across the yard."

They started picking their way through the hills and valleys of junk. The stuff seemed to go on forever, and if it hadn't been for the sun's position, They would've gotten lost. All the hills pretty much looked the same.

Now, while they were told not to mess with any of the junk, there were too many cool things there to be left alone. Percy found an electric guitar shaped like Apollo's lyre that was so sweet he had to pick it up. Grover found a broken tree made out of metal. It had been chopped to pieces, but some of the branches still had golden birds in them, and they whirred around when Grover picked them up, trying to flap their wings.

Finally, they saw the edge of the junkyard about half a mile ahead of, what looked to be a highway stretching through the desert ahead of them. But between them and the road…

"What is that?" Thalia asked, shocked.

Ahead of them was a hill much bigger and longer than the others. It was like a metal mesa, the length of a football field and as tall as goalposts. At one end of the mesa was a row of ten thick metal columns, wedged tightly together.

Percy frowned, feeling silly at what he was about to say. "Uh... they kind of look like toes."

"Really large toes," Markus added, feeling slightly amused.

Zoe and Adria exchanged nervous looks.

"Let's go around," Thalia said. "Far around."

"But the road is right over there," Percy protested. "Quicker to climb over."

 _Ping!_

Thalia hefted her spear and Zoe and Adria drew her bows, but then they realised it was only Grover. He had thrown a piece of scrap metal at the toes and hit one, making a deep echo, as if the column were hollow.

"Why did you do that?" Zoe demanded.

Grover cringed. "I don't know. I, uh, don't like fake feet?"

"Come on," Thalia said, looking at the others. " _Around_."

Percy quickly agreed, getting a bad feeling from looking at the toes.

After several minutes of walking, they finally stepped onto the highway. They were actually glad they did this during the day. Even if it was night, the highways would still be lit well enough to see.

"We made it out," Zoe said. "Thank the gods."

But apparently the gods didn't want to be thanked. At that moment, they heard a sound like a thousand trash compactors crushing metal.

Behind them, the scrap mountain was boiling, rising up. The ten toes tilted over, and they realised why they looked like toes. They were toes. The thing that rose up from the metal was a bronze giant in full Greek battle armour. He was impossibly tall - a skyscraper with legs and arms. He gleamed wickedly in the early morning light. He looked down at the six of them, and his face was deformed. The left side was partially melted off. His joints creaked with rust, and across his armored chest, written in thick dust by some giant finger, were the words WASH ME. Markus felt that he had seen the figure before. With a startling realisation, he figured out where he'd seen it.

"Talos!" Zoe gasped.

Markus calmed down, seeing that it wasn't the Elemental Talos' that he had dealt with. Nor was it the original.

Percy frowned in thought. "B-But that can't be him. He's much smaller."

"You're right," Thalia agreed. "It must be prototype. A defective model."

The metal giant didn't like the word _defective._

He moved one hand to his sword belt and drew his weapon. The sound of it coming out of its sheath was horrible, metal screeching against metal. The blade was a hundred feet long, easy. It looked rusty and dull, not that it mattered. Getting hit with that thing would be like getting hit with a battleship.

"Someone took something," Zoe said. "Who took something?" She then glared at Percy, thinking that he was the culprit.

Percy shook his head. "I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a thief."

"Look at me like that and you'll regret it," Markus muttered just as she looked at him. He was still pissed at both Hunters.

"Well, someone took something! So who-" Adria started, before frowning. She shifted from foot to foot, checking her legs. Then - with a wince - she lifted her right leg up, revealing that something was stuck to the sole of her foot. A small gold trinket that got wedged into her feet.

She gaped while Percy and Markus looked at her with accusing looks. "I - I didn't-"

"Oh, come on!" Thalia exclaimed, annoyed. "Are we really going to fight this thing because of a fucking speck of gold?! And why did you get the thing stuck on your foot?! Now we're going to die because of your clumsiness!"

"I'm - I'm sorry," Adria stuttered. "I didn't-"

But she couldn't formulate her thoughts properly. The defective Talos had taken one step towards them, closing half the distance and making the ground shake. It swung its sword, raking the ground and creating sparks and cracks along the ground. All of them rolled out of the way, avoiding the weapon.

Talos, however, didn't seem to be focused on them. Only Adria.

Frantically, Zoe started shooting it with arrows, but they did little good. Thalia struck Talos with lightning, which managed to halt it for a bit, before moving. Adria tried to move, but winced. The pain from before was coming back up.

Talos swung its sword at Adria, who closed her eyes. Zoe was too far away, and couldn't get to her in time.

Adria had accepted her fate. The words of the prophecy rang through her head: _One shall be lost in the land without rain_. That was going to be her. Her only regret would be not being able to rescue Artemis herself.

Adria kept closing her eyes, awaiting the agonizing pain and weightless feeling of death. Instead, she only heard the sound of two large objects crashing by her side. The force made her fall in a heap, her legs shaking from the force. Startled, she opened her eyes, looking up to see the back of Markus facing her.

"I'm going to regret this. So much," she heard him mutter.

Confused, she turned to look at what had landed behind her. She saw that it was Talos' sword, broken into two pieces. No, not broken. Severed. The giant weapon was bisected cleanly, having crashed into a heap of junk and making it fall.

Ignoring the shocked Hunter behind him, Markus saw that Talos was confused. Well, not confused, since it was an automaton. More like, trying to process what had happened. In its hand, only the hilt of its sword remained. Dropping the useless piece, it instead tried to crush Markus with its hands.

Markus didn't move. Instead, he commanded the water vapour to coalesce into a thin stream of pressurized water, like the kind they used in industries to cut stone. He was using the same principles, except cutting through Talos with a higher pressure of water, around 90,000 PSI.

Talos' hands were cut cleanly in half, the pieces falling to the ground in a heap. Grinning, Markus waved his hand like a conductor in an orchestra, commanding the thin beam of pressurized water to keep on cutting into Talos. The automaton tried to resist, but it was futile. First the arms, then the heels, and then the rest of its body. He was like a surgeon, cutting off each body part with deadly precision. The water was acting like a whip, striking, beating and cutting the automaton until there was nothing else.

The others watched, transfixed as Talos was slowly being disassembled. Pretty soon, there was nothing left of Talos. Motor oil was pouring like a fountain from the stumps where its limbs previously were. Its head was severed into pieces. Before it could do much as detonate, half of its body was severed in half cleanly. The automaton stood still, before the two pieces of its body fell in the opposite directions.

Markus faced the others and gave a mocking bow. "And that, people, is how you slice and dice a giant robot with nothing but shear badassery. Be in awe and gaze upon my magnificence."

Thalia scoffed. "It's an automaton, Barnacle Brain. Not a robot."

Markus shrugged. "Same thing."

"Showoff," Percy muttered.

Markus rounded upon him. "Oh? And how, baby brother, would you have managed to deal with the situation?"

Percy shrugged. "We could've handled it."

"Uh huh."

"Y-You saved me," Adria muttered, still shocked. The reason being that Markus would be the last person expected to save her.

Seeing this, Markus sighed in annoyance. "Don't look too deep into it. You still annoy me. I only saved you because we need the numbers. The trials ahead are severely dangerous and... what?" Markus asked, seeing the disbelieving looks he was receiving.

"Yeah... even I can tell that all of that was bullshit," Percy spoke for the others. He then had a teasing look on his face. "Aw, you do care about the Hunters."

"No, I don't," Markus denied instantly.

Now the others also had teasing looks on their faces. Thalia walked up to him, pinching his cheek. "Don't worry, Barnacle Brain. We won't tell anyone that the scary, big bad son of Poseidon is a real softie on the inside."

Markus glared at the the ones who were chuckling, even Zoe. "I will freeze all of you solid and shatter you."

"We love you, too!" the demigods and satyr chorused.

Markus' fingers twitched, as if contemplating on strangling them. He was very tempted to do so. He sighed, dismissing the urge. "Let's just-" Before Markus could finish his sentence, his senses blared. He ducked, narrowly avoiding being beheaded by a large scythe that was sent flying to his direction. It kept on moving past him, cutting through a junk mound in a single sweep.

All of them had their weapons at the ready in the direction from where the scythe was launched.

"Where are thou?! Show thyself!" Zoe commanded, bow at the ready.

It was silent for a moment, before laughter came from one side of the junkyard. The laughter sounded ominous, echoing across the field. It sent shivers down their spines, but they still stood firm.

"It seems like the pagans' filth are somewhat competent. That's good," a dark voice called out. Walking out from a pile of junk, a man appeared. He wore a black cloak that went straight down to his feet. The cloak seemed to absorb any light around him, making it even darker. He had black hair of the same quality as his cloak, and a pale face. His eyes were pitch black. This guy seemed even more emo than Hades, which was saying something. Though the shocking fact was that he had wings on his back. Large, black-feathered wings, like a crow.

When Markus tried to sense his presence, he recoiled slightly. This being was shrouded in death. Like Hades, but much more powerful. But that wasn't what made Markus so shocked. His aura and power felt similar to Zerith's. Not demonic, but... not Greek. The best way that he could describe it was that both Zerith and this man were aligned in the same type of mythology. Meaning that this being was involved in Christian belief.

Markus frowned, alarmed. "What the hell is a fallen angel doing here?" he asked seriously, shocking the others with his words. Fallen angel? What was he talking about? There weren't any angels in Greek mythology.

The man chuckled, his voice scratchy. "Good. You know of what I am. But not _who_ I am." The fallen angel held his hand out, commanding his scythe to return to him. "Normally, I wouldn't introduce myself to you disgusting pagans. You all are not worthy. But, since I'm here of my own accord, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." The fallen angel gave a mocking bow. "My name is Samael, archangel of death. The 'Venom' and 'Poison' of God. How nice to meet you, pagan filth."

Now everyone's eyes widened at the introduction. This guy was an archangel?! Like, an actual angel?! They knew that Markus had revealed the existence of God, heaven and hell to them, but this?

Meanwhile, Markus was extremely worried. More worried than when he heard about Jashin helping the Titans. They were in deep shit.

"It's good to see that you at least recognise a being of my status," Samael said mockingly. He then looked at Markus. "Though, I wouldn't mind killing you all, I came specifically for you, my dear boy."

Now this worried the others extremely. They all stood at the ready. "What do you want with Markus?" Thalia asked firmly, though they could tell that she had an undertone of fear.

"Simple. He has intrigued me. He was the one who killed Zerith and - due to this - is largely responsible for most of the demons from hell to join with the Greek scum that you call Titans. Honestly, it was the stupidest decision they made, even for stupid demons," Samael answered, looking quite annoyed.

Markus frowned heavily. So he was partly responsible for the demons joining the Titans? "That wasn't my fault," he said. "I was tasked with killing Zerith by Hecate. You can't blame me for the demons getting involved."

Here, Samael was amused. "You misunderstand me, boy. I'm not blaming you. I don't care. Frankly, I'm just interested that a pagan mortal managed to kill a Duke of Hell. Zerith wasn't anything special, to be honest. But the matter still stands."

"Then why are you here?" Percy asked, gaining some courage.

Here, Samael looked annoyed again. A massive aura of death surrounded him, affecting the others. All of them, bar Markus who stumbled slightly, fell to their knees. They all saw their deaths flashing across their minds. The ground was slowly being disintegrated. The junk around them was slowly decaying. This was like Markus' bloodlust, only on a much, much higher scale.

Samael glared at Percy. "I wasn't addressing you, filth," he snarled, eyes flashing with power. "And do not presume to speak to me in such a manner again."

Percy was choking slightly, the aura being too much for him.

Markus stepped forward, releasing some of his own power to push the aura back. An emerald aura surrounded him as he stepped forward. "Leave them alone," Markus said. He glared at the being in front of him. "You're fight is with me."

Samael grinned, shrugging. "That's fine, pagan. Though I'm only here on a whim. You're death means nothing to me. But the death of the your friends..." The offer hung in the air.

Markus turned to the others. "Run. Now."

"But-" "I said now!" Markus yelled now, interrupting Thalia. "This isn't some monster from Greek mythology. He's more powerful than the Olympians. He'd crush you like insects. Now get out of here!"

Samael grinned widely. "You really think that I'd let you escape?" He dashed forward, scythe at the ready. Before he could get far, he was blocked by a barrier, courtesy of Markus. Knowing that it wouldn't hold him, Markus moved at superspeeds, also applying Third Gear. He grabbed each of them and opened a dimensional portal, transporting them to the Mirror Dimension. That way, Samael wouldn't hurt them.

His task done, Markus had the time to move, dodging the swing of the scythe. Samael grinned. "Do you really think that they're safe? When I'm done with you, I'll go after them next. Though don't die too quickly. I want to enjoy this."

"Noted," Markus snarled. "And I'm going to enjoy butchering you."

Samael laughed as Markus put Wavebreaker away. Instead, he used his space/time magic to open two portals across time and space. Putting both hands in, he brought out two large and beautiful broadswords. These weren't regular broadswords, however. These two swords were legendary in myth. In his hands were the two swords, Excalibur and Caliburn **(A.N. - Design is similar to their Fate/Stay Night counterparts)**.

During his training, he had come far with space/time magic. So much that he could even summon legendary weapons that were lost in time. He had a type of subspace dimension where he could connect with other parts of time and space where the weapons rested. So he could pretty much use and summon almost every weapon in existence, theoretically. The only weapons that he couldn't summon were divine weapons or weapons that were already wielded by gods or other beings.

Samael scoffed. "Do you really think that those swords will actually help you?"

"Well, I won't know until I try," Markus replied. He was thankful that Samael was still acting playful. He needed to go full power from the start. He couldn't fuck around here. This was a being that could kill him without blinking. And made the Olympians look like ants. So he needed to go all out. Meaning that he had to use _that_ _._

Flooding his body with divine energy, Markus was bathed in an emerald sheen of light. He dug deep, deep into his divine core, immersing himself in his power. Controlling his energy, he flooded his human cells with his power, carefully but quickly doing so. The result...

Markus' body exploded with power, pushing back Samael back slightly and cratering the ground around him, flattening the junkyard and making everything blow back. Unlike Markus earlier display of power, this seemed more tamer in comparison, but still had a lot more raw power.

With his 'transformation' complete, Markus faced Samael, looking much different. His hair had spiked up, not unlike a Super Saiyan. Only, his hair was in the shape of a crown. It looked to be made of black thorns, having sharpened in length and structure. Another difference was his eyes. Instead of being sea-green, they were a shining emerald with a Greek omega symbol in them, interlocking with his pupils. Suddenly, a sheen of his signature golden lightning surrounded him like armour.

Markus contemplated on what to name his transformation. He didn't really have time for being original, so went simple. God Trigger. An apt name.

Markus cracked his neck, a grin appearing on his face. "Let's dance."

Samael grinned in return. "Indeed."

Both beings clashed, weapons striking. The ground cratered even more under their feet due to their blows, and Hephaestus' Junkyard was immediately destroyed.

 **Done. Good to write to you all again. Nice to write for this story again.**

 **So here, we have Markus going in almost full rage mode, with Thalia calming him down. After hurting Percy and almost destroying the world, though. Then Markus revealing his plan to destroy Olympus. Well, more like kill the Olympians who want him dead, but you get the idea. Then a little couple's moment between Thalia and Markus, with Thalia revealing her past. Followed by Markus visiting Atlas and learning that Jashin is involved. Le gasp! What dastardly agreement has Jashin planned with the Titans? Also, Markus met Reyna and discussed the details about him visiting Jason after the quest.**

 **Skipping the Talos scene, we have Samael, the archangel of death. And this is something I really, really wanted to add. The lines from the prophecy, including 'the one free from the frozen jail' relate to Samael. Here's why:**

 **Samael was an accuser, seducer and destroyer in Talmudic and post Talmudic lore, along with Judaism myth. I took his Highschool DxD counterpart (which relates to his imprisonment in Cocytus, along with him having his Dragon/Fallen Angel abilities) and mixed it with his iteration from the Ethiopian Book of Enoch 6, where it said that him and other angels rebelling against God. Hence his fallen angel side and being sealed in Cocytus. Yeah, it's really confusing. Basically, I mashed the versions of him from Talmudic lore, Judaism myth and DxD together. I know that technically it's incorrect to his character mythology-wise, but I wanted a way for him to be introduced to the story convincingly. And not half-assed. Let me know what you thought.**

 **Now, God Trigger. Basically, this is Markus' Six Paths Sage Mode, his Super Saiyan (SSJG, technically, but still), his Fourth Gear, his - you get what I mean. It's his ultimate form. It essentially allows him to become a god. Though the way he went about it was more complicated than the usual way to become a god. That was why he was studying genetics in Chapter 38. I will get into the mechanics behind it later. While it's simple in appearance, I thought that it'd be better that way. Rather than some complex additions to a transformation. Hope you also like it. Oh, and Markus will still grow stronger, so he hasn't reached his limit. God Trigger just puts him beyond Big Three level and on Titan King level. Not primordial level, though.**

 **Now, Guest review answers:**

 **1) That's a good idea, enchanting Markus' sword to act like a blunt weapon. I might add it.**

 **2) (Since it's the same reviewer, I'll answer it in one go) While Markus did kill Heracles brutally, I admit that I didn't do it because I hated him. Quite frankly, I kind of like him. I pity him because all he has is suffering from his past, along with dealing with immortality. The only reason that he died a brutal death is because of Markus' character. And I do admit that being proud of his twelve labours doesn't actually make sense.**

 **I like your take on Heracles, and how it wasn't really his fault with what happened with Zoe. Looking at it, it was mainly Zoe's fault for following him, and (technically) he did keep his promise.**

 **Thanks for your piece and understanding that it's an AU. Also, amazing quote and idea. Made me think a lot on what I already knew.**

 **3) I do agree that the world of Percy Jackson (bar a couple few) could be a match for Markus. That's why I included beings like Jashin (who won't actually fight him) and Samael. Along with others that I won't say yet. And your ideas and suggestions are very good and useful. Thank you!**

 **4) That is a really good idea. I do plan to do that. It'll be my fanboy arc. And yes I'm calling it that. Though I'll see which universe that he'll go to. I already have a couple set out, but I can let you guys decide on some others. Thanks!  
**

 **5) Despite others telling him, he wouldn't want to get rid of his Devil Bringer. Even Big G himself might not be able to convince him.**

 **6) Thanks for the other suggestions of stories. My favourites were i) Warhammer 40k: Between Gods and Monsters by Titan of War, ii) Get me Out of this Hellhole & Path of the Old Born Renew by DuesExTrnshuman, iii) The Spider & Percy Jackson and the world of magic by I'mjusttryingtofindmyway, iv) One Punch DxD: Legacy and The Fist Marks by ahsoei, & v) Transcendence by JMB Fictional Writing. I did like your other suggestions and gave them a read but the ones I mentioned were my favourites. Thank you very much!**

 **7) Ares' childrens won't be happy when they hear the news of their father's death. And most of the Olympians are screwed, but more will be revealed near the end, since I don't want to spoil it. And he will do quests mainly for the Shinto pantheon, though other pantheons are welcome if you want. And there will be some dimensional hopping (most of the options I've already picked, but if you have any options, feel free to tell me), and he could take the other girls along with him. And Hades knows that Markus is more powerful than he let's on. So he's comfortable to sit back and watch the 'show' unveil. He won't really intervene that much.**

 **8) Zoe is in Markus' harem.**

 **9) I think I answered this request before. If Markus killed the Ophiotaurus, he's get a power boost that would screw everything up. So, no.**

 **10) Markus can use his space/time magic to obtain certain weapons/items that augment his power. Though there are limits to this. And he will take the golden apples later on. He's just focused more on stuff that he would really need.**

 **11) The minor gods support him, since the Hestia cabin allowed their children some hope, even if they didn't get their own cabins. At the end of the quest, he will take care of that, though - again - I won't spoil it for you. Got to keep ya reading. And the political side of things will turn very interesting. Despite his claims about destroying the Olympians, he has some allies in the minor gods (the peaceful Titans wouldn't be affected by this) and he doesn't even know of it. A third faction has been made, kind of. And Kronos and his minions are actually suffering slightly, since not many demigods are joining their side. Though they will be screaming in terror soon.**

 **12) I have.**

 **Well, with that done, I bid you all adieu for now. Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Glad y'all love it.**

 **Read and Review!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44:**

Blades clashing, shockwaves reverberating across the sky and land, destruction being left all around, Markus' focus wasn't on any of that. All Markus was focusing on was not dying and killing the archangel in front of him.

Samael went for an overhead strike that would've beheaded him if Markus hadn't ducked. The shockwave produced from the swing of the scythe destroyed the ground and air behind the demigod. In a flash, Markus was nothing but a whirlwind of blades, Excalibur and Caliburn alight with golden flames. While he was able to inflict damage, Samael was not grimacing in pain. In fact, he was grinning.

He kept swinging his scythe with deadly accuracy, each swing becoming faster than the last. When Markus liquefied his body to avoid damage, the scythe cut his intangible left arm. Pain exploded on his left side. It was so nerve-wracking that Markus almost dropped Excalibur. His eyes were wide in shock as Samael laughed.

"Do you really think your pagan powers can save you? I'm the archangel of death, boy. Nothing can stop me from reaping your soul!" he cackled. He went for another strike, taking advantage of Markus' shocked expression. The archangel was stopped, however, by a burst of golden lightning that lit up his body, making him grunt in slight pain.

Markus took this time to draw water from the air and quickly heal himself before he attacked. So, liquefying his body didn't work. Probably phasing as well. That was annoying. But didn't stop him.

As Samael was recovering from the lightning, his head popped open like a balloon, blood spraying everywhere. Markus wasn't satisfied, however. He dashed forward, moving at the speed of light and hacking and slashing with the legendary blades. Samael's body was being destroyed, one swing after the other. Markus finished it off with a blast of a storm laser, incinerating the archangel. The sky lit up with the light from the laser.

His attack fading away, Markus kept his guard up, still waiting. After a couple of moments, his senses screamed at him to move, which he did. Luckily, he was able to avoid being bisected by the familiar swinging scythe.

"That is really getting annoying," Markus growled to particularly nothing.

"On the contrary," Samael's voice echoed out from the wind. "I find it particularly amusing."

Then a dark miasma formed, clotting into a ball. Then a body. And then hair, organs, parts of flesh. Finally, Samael's black robe formed as he gripped his scythe, whole again.

Markus clicked his teeth. "Regeneration... now I know why people complain about my healing."

Samael grinned. "'Tis a useful ability, no?"

The son of Poseidon shrugged. "Maybe. Not fun to fight against-" He raised both of his weapons to block a wide swing from the fallen angel. "I was talking, you know?" Markus spoke, glaring at his opponent.

"I know," Samael responded.

"Rude," Markus muttered, before dispersing into golden lightning. Samael's body spasmed as the powerful lightning arched across his body. Suddenly, runes and seals lit up from the destroyed ground. A large barrrier encased the electrocuted fallen angel's kneeling form.

Samael inspected the barrier, turning his head to look for where Markus was. "Clever little boy. Now where are... oh." He looked up, and saw the sky light up with a golden hue.

"Αστέρια Οργή. (Asteria's Wrath)." Markus intoned from his position high up in the sky, standing on a water platform. The sky seemed to part, before opening in millions of places. What came out from these openings were falling stars. More specifically, meteors. Markus wasted no time as his spell commenced.

It was a beautiful thing to watch, millions of falling stars heading towards the ground. People found the sight of shooting stars in the night sky to be magnificent. Now, looking at these humongous glowing meteors falling towards the ground where Samael was trapped, Markus found the same beauty. It was amazing, seeing a beautiful sight that could cause extreme devastation.

Samael tried to break out of the barrier, but it was no use. Space/time runes ran across the barrier. He tried hacking and slashing it, but it remained strong. The reason being was that his energy was being sapped. He didn't notice it from before, but he could now. His strength was being used to power the barrier. "Tricky bastard..." Samael muttered, before the first meteor hit him.

The ground practically exploded as star after star fell on it. Markus could see how the stars kept on destroying the ground, destroying the houses, nature life and human life. He grimaced, before schooling his features. He didn't like innocents dying, but he had no choice. He couldn't hold back anymore. This was a being that couldn't be destroyed by simple spells. He needed to pull out the big guns. Hopefully, their deaths were quick.

The spell continued, scarring and damaging the earth greatly. It kept on continuing for five minutes. Markus could feel Samael's presence on the ground, knowing that he was receiving the full brunt of the attack. Αστέρια Οργή was a continuous barrage that was meant for powerful gods who couldn't stay down or enemies who kept regenerating. Nevertheless, Markus didn't let up for even a second. Putting up his backup plan, Markus pooled a massive amount of his energy into the sky.

All over the world, everyone could feel the power of Markus' spell. Hell, practically everyone could see it. Mortals screamed and ran about like headless chickens. A couple of religious people believed that it was the end times coming near, and the heavens were opening up for all the dead people to come in and the angels to come out.

The Olympians viewed all of this from their thrones. Practically all of them were afraid, knowing and sensing who it was that was the cause of this. Zeus said nothing, looking morbid. For the first time, he felt that their death really was coming, and it was very near.

From Mount Othrys, Atlas clenched his jaw tightly as he observed it. He knew who was the cause of this. And he didn't like it one bit. Because the inkling of fear in the pit of his gut was growing. Artemis barely took notice of this, doing her best to keep up the sky. She could feel the power of the attack, though. And it frightened her.

All of the demigods on the side of the Titans either shivered, shat themselves or fainted out of fear. The golden sarcophagus, where the Titan King's essence was, glowed in displeasure.

Other pantheons could feel the power that the spell was producing. The Asgardians became tense, with Odin gripping Gungnir tightly. He wasn't acting jovial or carefree. He was serious. And he was _not_ happy.

The Egyptians also sensed the power, and immediately became tense. Their Hosts could do nothing against this power, and they were useless. They only hoped that the power wasn't aimed at them.

The Shinto gods also took note of this in Takamagahara, the Shinto Heavenly Planes. As he sat on his throne, Susanoo did his damnedest to avoid the gazes from Izanagi, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. He knew that he was going to receive a _long_ lecture from either one of the gods for taking a champion from a different pantheon.

Finally, Αστέρια Οργή ended. And the result was a barren wasteland, scarred and scorched. Plant life, houses, Junkyard, humans, shops, everything. All of it was gone. Most of Nevada had suffered from the spell. The Hoover Dam was practically destroyed from the shockwaves alone. Everyone had quickly evacuated from the construction site and snackbar before they had been destroyed. They took cover The dam rippled harshly, the naiads had quickly found cover deeper in the water.

Markus inspected the ground where Samael was trapped. With God Trigger, his eye sight had improved drastically. So he could see that the barrier had been obliterated, along with the fallen angel. Only his cloak, scythe and smoking remains were all that was left of him. He must've been regenerating constantly to try to keep up with the constant barrage. He could even see the black miasma slowly forming, allowing Samael to regenerate, albeit slowly.

Pretty soon, the fallen angel had formed. Though, he looked completely exhausted and haggard. His body was hunched over, panting heavily. While physically he was fine, his power had practically been halved due to the constant regeneration, which took a toll on him. Not to mention that his full power was restricted in this realm.

He wasn't smiling anymore. He was now glaring up at Markus. He didn't say anything, only grabbing his scythe and flaring his wings. He flew up in the sky to meet Markus. Making his water platform disappear, Markus fell to the earth, meeting Samael's charge. Both of their weapons clashed, and the sky exploded.

 _(In the Mirror Dimension)_

The last thing any of the questers saw was Markus pushing them through a portal, before they landed in Hephaestus' Junkyard. Only, it wasn't. They could tell that they were in the Junkyard, but they could tell that there was a certain... wrongness in it. As if it was fake. They could tell that all of the junk in the yard was fake. A mirror image.

"Where are we?" Grover asked, a little scared at the quietness of the whole world. The two Hunters had exited the Junkyard, inspecting the taco shop, the plant life, everything. It was all empty. No one was in the shop, the grass, land and plants were still. It was as if all life had been extinguished.

"I don't know," Percy answered, both his swords out. "I-I don't think we're in Hephaestus' Junkyard. This-This feels _wrong_."

"I know what you mean," Thalia added, inspecting where they were. "It's like... It's like this is a copy. An imperfect copy. And it feels so barren."

"You think it was Markus' magic?" Percy asked, knowing that his brother had a hand in this.

"Definitely," Thalia answered, trying to figure out what was going on. "I think he sent us here, to get away from... that angel." She shivered, remembering the aura of Samael.

"Which means that he's facing him. All on his own," Percy said, his worry increasing the more he thought about it. "We have to get out of here."

"We can't," Adria answered, running back to the group with Zoe beside her. "We inspected the whole land. The lakes. The shops. Everywhere. It's the same all around. Empty and barren. It _looks_ like our... own world. But empty. Like..."

"Like a mirror," Zoe finished, frowning. "My guess is that that bo- Markus... has taken us away from the world as thy know it through the use of magic. Though I do not know of such magic. Nor that it even existed."

"I'm starting to get less surprised at what Markus can do," Grover said, with the others nodding. "But what we do know is that he's facing that angel all on his own. And he sent us here for our own safety."

"We have to go back. We have to-" Percy started off, but Zoe interrupted him.

"And do what?" she said, frowning. "What do thou intend to do? Thou saw the power that being gave off. He is stronger than the Olympians themselves. What could thou possibly do against such power?"

Percy didn't say anything, only frowned. "But he didn't have to send us here!"

"Yes he did," Zoe insisted. She didn't know why she was defending Markus, but she knew that he did it to protect them. The thought both annoyed her and oddly warmed her at the same time. "We would all be a burden against that being. Slaughtered the moment he decided to get serious. He was right to send us here."

Percy grit his teeth, furious. While he could see the truth in Zoe's words and Markus' actions, he still felt annoyed. The entire reason that he trained for the last two months was to be able to stand at Markus' side and face any danger ahead. Now, it was like nothing had changed. Markus was facing the danger while he was safe and sound. The thought irked him.

Thalia put a hand on his shoulder. "Percy." He turned to look at her. "I know what you're feeling. And I understand. Believe me, I feel it, too. But we can't do anything about it. Markus is the only one strong enough to battle Samael. We would only get killed."

"I know that," Percy muttered. "It's just... I thought that I could finally be able to do something on this quest. The only thing that I managed to accomplish was killing a couple of demons. I keep saying that I'm going to help Markus, but..."

Thalia patted his back with a knowing look. "I feel the same way," she admitted. "And I hate the fact that Markus is the one who has to take on the fight and protect us. It's something that I both love and hate at the same time. But this time, I'm willing to let him fight. Because I know that he's the only one strong enough to do it. Even though I hate it."

Percy slowly nodded at Thalia's words, though he didn't like it. The others simply waited, and hoped that Markus won.

 _(Back in the Real World)_

The two beings kept on attacking each other, neither relenting. Samael managed to get in a couple of slices in, weakening Markus slightly. The scythe was extremely annoying. He felt like his soul was being ripped apart slowly. Samael was actually taking him seriously this time. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. And he couldn't bloodbend anymore, since Samael was preventing him.

As they locked blades, Markus could feel Samael having the advantage. He was slowly being pressed back. To counter this, Markus decided to do a risky move. Carefully manipulating his energy, he sent it to his eyes. His eyes quickly glowed and shot out storm lasers, aimed at Samael's own eyes. The archangel roared in pain as his eyes were vaporized. Markus followed it with a headbutt, his eyes stinging.

As Samael backed off, Markus chanted a spell. "Άρχισε η Άνοιξη!" A blue light covered his body, mixing with the emerald aura he produced.

Rejuvinated, Markus surrounded himself again in an armour of gold lightning, his form buzzing erratically. As he blitzed towards the distracted Samael, afterimages were left in his wake. He was nothing but flashes of already fading light, destroying Samael each time he tried to regenerate. He figured out that each time Samael regenerated, his power diminished slightly. All he had to do was force the archangel to keep on regenerating, so he could keep on weakening.

Like before, black miasma had formed and tried to stitch Samael together, but Markus trapped that in a barrier. Commanding it to flatten, he crushed the miasma and caused it to be destroyed.

Markus waited, his spell still active. Good thing, too, because the surroundings suddenly darkened. An aura of death practically bathed the world. Inky black darkness formed on the ground, and a large cross rose from it. What was strapped to it was a crucified creature. it had Samael's fallen angel wings, but now had other bizarre features. He had the lower body of an Asian dragon, the upper body of a man, and his face had Samael's features. Only, there was a blindfold covering his eyes that dripped blood. His arms, legs, wings and tails were nailed to the cross by old nails.

A wave of pain, hatred and resentment filled the air, along with death. The creature that was Samael broke free from his restraints, blood sprouting from the wounds. His blindfold peeled away from his eyes, showing eyes that were black as night. Samael roared, and started transforming into a another creature.

"And I thought I took too long transforming," Markus muttered, seeing the scene in front of him. Holding out his hand, Markus blasted a storm laser at Samael. The laser did nothing to him as black scales started forming on his skin, from head to toe. His teeth elongated to fangs, and his body stretched and contorted. His back rippled, and another set of wings protruded from his back. These were dragon wings instead of fallen angel wings.

In a few seconds, Samael had transformed into a large black dragon. It was fifteen feet tall, and looked deadly and menacing. And the amount of power rolling off it made Markus' skin crawl.

Still feeling the boost from his Άρχισε η Άνοιξη spell, Markus dismissed Excalibur and Caliburn. Instead, summoned Kusanagi from his pocket dimension. "Time to go dragon slaying," he grinned maniacally. " Επικαλούμαι: Avatar της θύελλας. (Invoke: Avatar of the Storm)."

Just as he finished saying the words, a gigantic geyser of emerald energy erupted from his body, dwarfing the blue aura from his Άρχισε η Άνοιξη spell. The emerald aura started to take shape. What was rapidly being formed was a colossal giant that quickly grew to thirty feet in height. Armour magically formed around the storm giant. Blue ethereal knee braces formed on his legs, along with a blue loincloth. More armour made out of energy started to form, from a war helmet to greaves to a chest plate. And he stood in the head of the being. Pretty soon, Markus' storm giant had formed. **(A.N. - If you want a better description, think of the storm giants from Forgotten Realms, and by extension Dungeons and Dragons. The only difference is that Markus' storm giant is wearing Spartan armour)**.

Commanding his storm giant to hold its hand out, Markus drew his magic to form a giant energy version of the Kusanagi, drawing power from the original. It crackled with powerful lightning.

No words were said between the two. Samael roared while Markus commanded his storm giant to run forward. Samael flew to meet his charge. Markus' Kusanagi was raised and slashed at the dragon's claws. There was a loud BOOM, a shockwave being produced that destroyed the air around them.

Samael tried to move around the sky, but Markus was much quicker. Kusanagi sailed through the air and sliced at Samael's side. While this was only a shallow cut, Samael the dragon roared in pain.

Markus didn't relent, making his giant move quickly. Another slash had Samael fold its wings and land on the ground harshly. Another slash made a scar open up on his reptillian face.

Having enough, Samael wailed loudly. Darkness pooled on the ground. Out of it was a humongous construct, formed purely of bones. The construct rapidly formed into a massive being, almost matching Markus' storm giant in height. It roared, unleashing another wave of death that killed any remains of life on the earth around them.

Markus clicked his teeth. Quickly summoning three speed clones, he gave them a sealing scroll each and told them to gather nature energy for him to absorb. They quickly scattered off to do their own job.

The bone monster roared, charging at Markus' storm giant. He commanded it to cleave the monster in two, only for it to dodge and grapple him. He grunted, feeling the touch of death slowly surrounding his storm giant, weakening it slightly. He struggled, tried to command it to move or do something, but it was for nought. Pretty soon, the aura of death would reach him, and it'd be game over.

"Κατακλυσμικός Παλάτι! (Cataclysmic Palace!)" he shouted out, calling out the name of his backup spell.

Instantly, the sky exploded. Lightning bigger than Zeus could ever produce and dark clouds formed in the sky. Following that, large tornadoes almost as tall as Markus' giant were formed, the wind violently whipping around and slicing at the bone monster and Samael. The sky literally split apart, allowing lightning and rain to come lashing down. Markus commanded the rain to mix with the toxic and harmful elements in the atmosphere and create acid rain.

Raising the ethereal Kusanagi, lightning gathered at the sword, zapping the bone monster. It screeched as it was reduced to dust.

The lightning gathered at the sword again, Markus condensed the lightning, changing the colour from electric blue to pitch black. With a roar, Markus' storm giant pointed his Kusanagi to the slowly healing Samael. The black lightning bolt sailed towards the dragon and electrocuted him. Samael screeched as the ground was obliterated by the attack. An explosion was created, one identical to a nuke going off.

Markus sighed in relief, the negative effects of the death field leaving him. Cataclysmic Palace really helped him there. The spell was a massive area-based spell. It affected the sky and weather to an extreme, allowing both of them to be in disarray. Which worked perfectly for him. Drawing on his divine powers, he drew the lightning and water from the rain - which wasn't acidic - to him. The result was making his storm giant grow in size as he kept on absorbing parts of the storm. **(A.N. - Picture Sasuke's Indra Susanoo from Naruto)**.

Another awesome thing about his Avatar of the Storm spell was that he could draw lightning and water towards it and it could become stronger. Grinning, Markus began his assault.

The giant tornadoes and hurricanes formed buffeted Samael, pushing and dazing him. Lightning crackling from his ethereal blade, Markus used his golden lightning this time and continued to zap Samael. Due to the dragon-slaying attributes from Kusanagi, the lightning kept on destroying his scales and damaging him severely.

Desperately, Samael summoned more bone monsters and dead summons, but Markus kept on destroying them before attacking the dragon. He impaled his blade into Samael's spine, causing crimson blood to fly everywhere and for Samael to screech even louder than before. He flailed pathetically, wings flapping and limbs slapping the ground. Markus channelled lightning through his blade, making Samael cry out even more.

His spell still active, Markus decided to end it all. Lightning bolt after lightning bolt pelted Samael, destroy more and more scales and frying him. The acid rain was also doing its job, wearing away at the dragon. Each attack was like a nuclear bomb exploding each time. Markus was content with letting the barrage continue. After a few minutes, Markus ceased the continuous bolts. Stalking forward, Markus raised his sword, deciding to end it.

Just as he was about to swing his sword downwards, black tendrils of darkness sprung from underneath Samael's dragon body. Surprised, Markus tried to move his storm giant, but it was futile. They trapped his arms, halting his downward strike. His giant's torso, legs and neck were also restrained.

Samael hissed painfully in laughter. " **I'll admit it, boy. You are too strong for me to handle. At least in this realm. But let's see how you handle battling in _my_ field.**" With that, Samael opened a large portal of darkness. What was revealed on the other side was nothing but dark orange flames. From his point of view, mountains of skeletons were piled together. In fact, Markus could see nothing but bones. A river of fire flowed through inside the image. At first, Markus thought it was the River Phlegethon, but he corrected himself. It definitely wasn't. And the portal reeked of evil.

Markus commanded his storm giant to move, but it was futile. The giant was fading quickly, its energy being sapped from the black tendrils. And he was quickly being sucked in as if he was being drawn in by a black hole. Samael kept on hissing in laughter as he slowly sank into the portal. However, just as he was being sucked in, his speed clones had arrived near him. They quickly opened the sealing scrolls and gave him the large amounts of nature energy they had gathered. His Yang and Fehu tattoos burned so brightly that his skin boiled. He had enough time to accumulate the energy before he was dragged down through the portal.

 _(Hell, Samael's domain)_

Markus was immediately drawn through and into hell. At least, he assumed that he was in it. The entire place reeked of the aura Zerith had when he crossed over into the world. **(A.N. - The scene looks like the setting in Seven Avengefold's song 'Buried Alive)**.

Markus' storm giant had faded completely, the portal closing behind him. He managed to land on a large pile of bones that was sturdy enough. Suddenly, Markus' God Trigger wore away, his crown of thorns turning into normal hair and his eyes turning back to normal. scaring him. He still had enough energy to maintain God Trigger! Why had he gone out of it?!

A familiar hiss of laughter rang out, reverberating through the entire hellish world. Markus slowly turned to see Samael in his dragon form. Except his size was different. Before, he was an intimidating fifteen feet high. Now, he was huge. No, gargantuan. He practically filled the entire world of hell around him. He was still the same type of dragon, but he released a world of power that made Markus' knees buckle.

" **Are you surprised that your 'god' form had vanished**?" he cackled in glee. His voice echoed with power. " **Here in hell, no pagan god can enter. They are practically as powerful mortals in here. Meaning that your form and that troublesome blade won't work here. You're in my world, now! And I'm going to make sure that you suffer a thousand deaths before I let you actually die**!"

Markus shook in slight fear, the heat and aura of the place getting to him. Along with the knowledge that his strongest transformation was useless. As well as one of his most powerful weapons. H-He couldn't stand up to Samael like this. He was weak while Samael was growing stronger as he stayed here. What could he do? What could he do?! He was going to die here! He was going to die and-

He bit the inside of his cheek, hard enough to draw blood. He closed his eyes, calming himself, before opening them. What the fuck was he thinking?! He didn't plan to die in hell! He wasn't going to leave Percy, Thalia, Grover, Annabeth, Katie, Silena and all of his friends. He wouldn't! So he was not going to cry like a bitch! He was going to stand up, fight, and slay this fucking dragon!

Focusing on the top of his back, Markus activated the Rage of Sparta. Thanking every decent Olympian and god, he felt that the boost was working. With a roar, a blood red aura erupted around his body. His sea-green eyes turned into crimson. This was no God Trigger, but it'd do.

Samael laughed, amused. " **It's useless. This little parlour trick is even weaker than your 'god' form. If you couldn't beat me as a god, than how can you hope to beat me as a puny mortal**?"

"First of all," Markus said with a sneer. "I was practically raping your ass until you had to cheat and drag us down here. If you hadn't, you'd be nothing but some dragon-hide clothes for me to show off." Samael snarled at that. "And second of all, as powerful as a god is, being mortal is much better."

Focusing on his Yang and Fehu tattoos and runes, he entered Sage Mode. His tribal markings appeared on his face, elongating past his face and streaming down his body. Due to the massive amounts of nature energy he'd absorbed, he was was infinitely more powerful than when he fought Heracles.

Gritting his teeth, he activated his steam armour, pushing it the maximum. His muscles bulged, trying to escape his skin. Steam burst and poured from his body. He knew that using so many power-ups at once dangerous, since he was pushing his body to its limit. He could potentially die from this. And yet he didn't care. Besides, he didn't plan on dying anyway.

Using one final trick, Markus roared. His body was now armoured in a sheen of his golden lightning. So... Rage of Sparta, Sage Mode, steam armour and Lightning Armour... yep, he was ready.

" **If you are done** ," Samael spoke with a bored drawl, " **then we can continue with this farce of a battle.** "

"Yeah," Markus agreed, using his space/time magic to bring out Ascalon, the legendary dragon slayer **(A.N. - The sword has its Fate/Stay Night appearance and design)**. "Let's."

The two combatants charged forward. And hell exploded in a flurry of power.

As the two clashed, Markus was immediately pushed back by Samael's ungodly strength. Heading towards the giant bones of a snarling demon, Markus quickly applied kinetic energy to his body. Before his body touched the bone construct, Markus immediately bounced off of it, shattering it due to the force. He charged towards the fallen angel/dragon hybrid.

Shockwaves were made from the force of the two fighting. The ground shook. The river of fire shook and spilled onto some of the bones, destroying them. The mountain of bones trembled and fell apart. With a swing of Ascalon, parts of Samael's scales broke. With a swipe of Samael's arm, Markus' body got a couple of claw marks.

Samael got in a lucky strike and sent Markus flying. Although he was able to perform a quick Air Hike and managed to right himself, before heading back towards Samael. The dragon opened his maw and lobbed a hail of deadly poison at the demigod. Smirking, Markus vanished in an extreme burst of speed similar to teleportation. Appearing at Samael's wings, he hacked into one of them with a mighty strike. Samael screeched.

Using his toxikinesis, Markus took control of Samael poison and shot it back at him. Still feeling the pain from Markus' attack, he couldn't do anything as he was covered in his own poison. Samael hissed and screeched, his poison eating at his scales and skin. His poison was deadly to every being, especially dragons. That also included him.

Furious, Samael tried to claw at Markus, but he zipped out of the way, frying him with golden lightning. Samael roared, causing Markus to be pushed back from the shockwaves, and landing harshly on the ground. Before he could get up, Samael's clawed hand pinned him down, the claws digging into his flesh. Markus screamed in pain, blooding leaking out of the holes in his body.

Samael released Markus from his hold, only to slam his fist down on him again. And again. And again. Markus howled in agony, his bones breaking with each strike. His lower half was nothing but a mangled mess. He coughed out a fountain of blood, choking on it.

Samael hissed in laughter, relishing in his pain. " **Oh, don't worry. You won't die yet. The fun has just started! I'm going to take my time breaking you and making you squeal like a pig!** " As he was just about to raise his fist up to strike, he saw that Markus was grinning. " **What is so funny? Does your coming suffering amuse you?** " Markus still grinned, pointing weakly upwards.

Curious but annoyed, Samael looked up, only to receive a sword to the right eye. He roared in pain as Ascalon dug deep into his ruined eye, reaching into his brain.

'Markus' kept grinning, only to disappear. The real Markus summoned Excalibur to his hand and slashed Samael's other eye. "Can't believe you fell for such a simple illusion," Markus mocked. He took both swords out and started hacking and slashing into Samael's abdomen. He dug Ascalon deep into his gut and used kinetic energy to move across his scaly underbelly, still digging the blade deep into the dragon **(A.N. - In the same manner as you do as Kratos when you fight Cronus in God of War 3, after getting out of his stomach)**.

Markus immediately moved before Samael's blood could touch him, knowing and sensing that his blood was poisonous. He moved out of the way as Samael clawed at the area where he was at.

" **I will destroy you, boy!** " Samael snarled, hatred and pain pouring off of him. " **Forget suffering! I will make it so that your soul is broken under the torments of hell! You will be ERASED!** "

Markus didn't say anything, dodging and moving out of Samael's wild and furious swings. Activating his War God Speed Impulse, his perception of time slowed down dramatically, allowing him to see and process everything in great detail. He could see Samael's outstretched arms, his large body, his remaining good wing, the blood from his eyes hissing and bubbling against his snout and face.

Taking care of his arms first, Markus' arms moved in a blur. He saw in slow motion as his swords chipped, hacked and slashed off each scale Samael had, reaching into bone. Markus severed off a part of his forearm, making the dragon screech and allowing Markus to move onto the next arm. He knew that Samael was weakened due to the wounds he'd given him. He was slowly getting stronger and trying to regenerate, but he wasn't allowing him.

He moved onto the next arm, not allowing him to recover for even a second. He kept on chopping and chopping and chopping until nothing but a stub remained. Samael cried out in pain, poisonous blood trailing down his eyes like tears.

" **Enough!** " he screamed out. " **I refuse to fall to a mortal! A pagan! That is the deepest shame I can experience!** " He made to move, but he struggled to do so, his injuries taking their toll on him. Sure, he was regenerating, but his blood was acting against it. The poison was seeping deep into his brain, face and other parts of his skin.

Seeing this, Markus decided to go for broke. And he knew just how to do it. He dismissed Ascalon and held Excalibur in both hands. The sword glowed a golden light, lighting up the area. All of the skeletons were bleached white. The atmosphere of evil, death and hate managed to fade only for a moment due to the light. The golden light acted like water droplets, splashing onto parts of hell. Then Markus could hear voices, echoing from Excalibur. Voices of promises and hope. Excalibur was the sword of Promised Victory. It held the wishes of mankind and was the physical manifestation of the ideals of King Arthur. And it was time he started using it well.

Grinning at using one of his favourite moves, he chanted. "While one could say there are many other swords crafted more splendidly and with better skill, this sword is an illusion far, far superior to them. Calling it 'beautiful' would dirty its appearance. It is instead something sacred, forged from people's conceptions, legends weaved only out of hope." Yes, he memorised the entire chant, because why not? It was awesome.

"It is a crystal trained by the alone of mankind, making it reign as the strongest fantasy. The crystallization of the prayer _glory,_ and all the things etched in the hearts of those who are scattered at the sword's exuberance; the nostalgic, the sorrowful, and hallowed dreams of those who found themselves on the bloody hell called a sword represents a desire of all warriors, past, present, and future whom have been fully exposed to the nightmares of the battlefield. And that desire? _To be exalted_."

Markus jumped up, high in the air, facing down at Samael. Sensing his presence, Samael growled and roared. He spread his one wing and flew up to meet Markus' attack, maw raised.

"Its name transcends all boundaries! Time and space! Cultures and languages! Nations and borders! For its name is-!" Markus spoke, pausing for the energy to build up in the sword. Just as Samael reached his level and was about to consume him, Markus was already finished.

" **EX-** " Markus bellowed, raising the sword high. Preparing to crush his opponent.

" **-CALIBUR!** " He swung the sword down, just as Samael was almost upon him, jaw raised.

Immediately, the air in hell exploded with power. Everywhere was bathed in a golden light. Samael's mouth managed to bite onto Markus' right arm, before his face was practically sliced cleanly in half, before exploding in the light.

A golden arc of light sliced through Samael's body, before going onwards. It destroyed a large section of Samael's domain, splitting the river of fire in half and destroying hundreds of bone constructs, and wiping away the evil air, if but for a moment. The aura produced was calming, peaceful and _divine_. Samael's area of hell was practically destroyed.

The golden light continued to bathe throughout the area, a small shockwave of power being produced. Then, it began to die down, ever so slowly.

As Markus was suspended in the air, Excalibur in a downward motion and Samael being destroyed, he felt a massive amount of pain on his left arm. Looking at it, he found that it wasn't there. All that was left was a bleeding stump.

He dropped out of his Rage of Sparta and dismissed his steam armour, Sage Mode and Lightning Armour. He landed on the still remaining bone mountain, dismissing Excalibur and inspecting his stump that previously held his right arm. The stump was still bleeding, and the cut wasn't clean. It was roughly bitten off. He felt like he should be concerned about his lack of an arm, but he wasn't. He was just happy he won the battle.

Markus halted and stemmed the blood using his blood control. Inspecting the destroyed area of hell, he could see a stray scale from Samael and a small pool of his poison. He walked towards the scale and picked it up, storing it away. He then carefully sealed the poison into a sealing scroll, for later study.

Done with his task, he was ready to leave hell. Opening a small portal, he picked out Yamato. Using his teeth, he unsheathed the blade. Activating the runes on it, he slashed at the air, opening up a rift in hell and revealing the scorched earth of Nevada. Since hell and the mortal world were closely interlinked, it made sense that the walls of reality between the two were very close. Which he was thankful for.

Bracing himself, he hopped through the portal, leaving hell.

Markus' feet landed on the ground, sighing and breathing in the normal air. He looked around, inspecting the destruction he had caused in his battle with Samael. He wasn't happy nor proud about it all, but he could feel sorry for himself later.

Sighing, he decided to exert himself again. Opening up a dimensional portal to the Mirror Dimension, he saw the other questers looking anxious and worried.

"Guys!" he shouted, waving his single arm.

The others turned to where his voice came from. They're eyes went wide, seeing him.

"Markus!" Thalia screamed, running ahead of the others. She jumped through the portal and hugged him tightly, kissing him hard. Despite his exhaustion, he returned the kiss, glad to be back and feeling his girlfriend in his arm after a serious battle. It felt really good.

As both of them were kissing, they were interrupted by the screams of shock from Percy, along with the sound of someone falling. Both separated and looked to see Percy, Zoe and Adria looking at Markus in shock while Grover had fainted.

Markus chuckled while Thalia looked to what the others had their eyes on. She was able to register that Markus had lost his arm before she panicked.

"Markus! Oh my gods, oh my gods! Guys, don't just stand there! Help him!" Thalia practically shrieked, instantly at Markus' side and checking him. Adria moved the girl out of the way and inspected the wound. Markus ripped off his jacket to let her inspect the wound, wincing as she prodded at it.

"Oh my gods... are you okay?" Percy asked, extremely worried. He winced as soon as he said that. "Dumb question."

"Least you spotted it beforehand," Markus smirked, though no one was in a joking mood.

"Why isn't the wound bleeding? Where's your arm? I could possibly reattach it," Adria said, still inspecting his wound.

Thalia looked as if she was about to cry as the others crowded around him, seeing if he was alright.

Markus sighed, the pain actually getting to him this time. "Guys, give me space. Please. I can fix this no problem."

"How?!" Thalia almost screamed at him, worried. "Markus, you lost your arm! This isn't a joking matter!"

Markus frowned. "I know that, princess. And I'd heal it if you guys would let me."

They all backed off, curious and worried.

Markus sighed, drawing on the water vapour and droplets from the rain he'd produced previously. He searched deeper, scouring any available water source or droplet nearby. After a few minutes, trillions upon trillions of water droplets had gathered towards Markus. The others watched, transfixed.

The water droplets gathered at his stump and formed a human arm out of water. The watery limb attached to his arm and was fused with a hiss as he boiled the water and made it cool down instantly. Then the arm solidified into a normal-looking limb, complete with the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons. Pretty soon, his arm had been restored in perfect condition, identical to his left arm. He clenched it a couple of times, testing it.

Ignoring the shocked looks on the others' faces, Markus concentrated, furrowing his eyebrows. Then, his Κράτος appeared on his left bicep, appearing as though it had always been there. Fun fact that he learned, his runes and tattoos had bonded to him on a spiritual level due to the amount of time they were on his body. Meaning that he'd always have the aspects that he'd carved onto his body that he wanted. Even if his body was blown up or he was dismembered, he'd always have the runes on his body. Guess the ritual had a lot of benefits.

Markus looked to see that the others were still giving him shocked looks. Before they could say anything, he raised up a hand. "I know you guys have some questions, but right now, I'm extremely tired. Like, really tired. I'll answer your questions. After I sleep. If we're going to continue, I need my rest. So one of you have to carry me." With that, he fell forward. He managed to fall towards Thalia, who caught him in time. However, he managed to snuggle into her chest, a content sigh escaping his lips before he passed out.

Thalia's eye twitched. "He's so lucky I'm worried for him, or I'd drop him," she growled.

The others didn't respond to her, inspecting the area. "Was this the result of the fight between Markus and Samael?" Percy asked, stunned that the two could cause this kind of destruction. Sure, he knew that the two were powerful, but seeing the results drove the point home. The ground was cratered and destroyed, Hephaestus' Junkyard was practically non-existent, and the sky was dark and crackling with power. Shockingly, the sky was also split in half, as if two giant hands reached up and ripped it apart. Not to mention that the air was practically saturated with death, ozone and pure power. It was as if a hundred nukes had gone off at the same time.

Zoe inspected the entire scene, looking at the snoozing Markus. "The more time I spend with him on this quest, I keep getting surprised at every point."

"I agree," Adria agreed. "I thought that the Olympians were the most powerful beings in the world, along with the Titans. Now, those thoughts are completely shattered."

Everyone nodded, taking in the scene. They didn't know how much destruction Markus had caused in his battle with the fallen angel. They weren't sure if they wanted to know. While they felt like continuing the quest, they feared what other dangers were ahead. Demons, gods and angels. Things kept on getting even more crazier as they continued the quest. They weren't even sure if quests were this bizarre and dangerous.

Thalia sighed, struggling to carry Markus. "Let's just continue on. We're all at fighting capability with one exception. If we stay if one place and rest, we're bound to be attacked again. Something that I really want to avoid."

"Agreed," Percy nodded. "But where would we go? All we know is that we're heading west."

"We should move past the Sierras and enter San Francisco," Zoe said, a frown on her face. "That is our best bet at the moment. It is also more likely that we'll get closer to retrieving Lady Artemis."

No one argued with her. They didn't really have a lot of options.

"Okay, but first: help me," Thalia groaned, struggling to carry Markus. "Gods, it's like he's a brick wall."

Percy and Grover stepped forward, helping her. "We can't go on like this," Percy decided after a moment.

"Yeah, Markus weighs a ton. Man, what does he eat?" Grover asked, struggling to carry him.

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" Adria asked, annoyed.

After a moment, Percy clicked his fingers. "I got an idea." He closed his eyes, trying to telepathically communicate with his steed. _Blackjack. Blackjack, can you hear me?_

The others looked confused at what Percy was doing, but he ignored them in favour of continuing. _Oi, Blackjack!_

 _Boss!_ a familiar voice in his head said. Well, neighed, actually. _How ya doin'? Got any donuts for me?_

 _Not the time, Blackjack!_ Percy chastised his pegasus. _I need your help. Can you get a couple of pegasi to follow you in coming to my location. We need your help._

 _On it, boss!_ Blackjack saluted. _Can I have some donuts afterwards?_

Percy sighed. _Yes. You can have all the donuts that you want._

 _Awesome! See ya, boss!_

Percy cut off the link between him and Blackjack. He looked to the others. "We have some help coming. A couple of pegasi are coming to carry us to Sans Francisco."

Thalia twitched a little, but otherwise didn't say or do anything. Percy was curious as to what was wrong, but he pushed it out of his mind for now.

"Good," Grover huffed. "Because I can't carry this guy for more than a minute." He gestured to Markus, who he was holding onto along with Thalia.

Percy looked at the satyr. "Aren't you the ones that eat enchiladas all day? How can you complain about someone else's weight?"

Grover blushed while Thalia snickered. "Burn."

Grover made to retort, but the sound of the flapping of wings was heard from above them. All of them looked up to see a black pegasus followed by three other pegasi. One of them was a light purple in colour while having a violet mane mixed with some pink. There was a weird tattoo of a couple of stars on one of his hindquarters. He also had a crappy unicorn horn on his head.

One of the pegasus was sky blue in colour, while having an assortment of colours for his mane. It looked like a rainbow threw up on it. He also had a weird tattoo that was in the shape of a couple of rainbows on his hindquarters.

The last pegasus was a maroon brown in colour, while having a blonde mane. Oddly enough, this one had a cowboy hat on top of his head, while carrying a basket of apples. He even had the the same tattoo as the other pegasi, only this one had apples in it.

It took the group a couple of seconds to register this. Thalia and Percy started laughing while Grover chuckled, confusing Zoe. Adria, however, groaned.

 _'Sup, boss!_ Blackjack greeted to Percy. _Managed to get here as fast as I could! Even got some friends!_

 _B-Blackjack_ , Percy struggled to say mentally while holding his stomach in laughter. _W-Why do you have the pegasi dressed as ponies?_

 _What do you mean, boss?_ Blackjack responded back, confused. _They aren't dressed as ponies. This is how they normally look._

If anything, this made Percy laugh even harder.

"Oh gods!" Thalia laughed, tears coming to her eyes. "S-Since when were there pegasi from My Little Pony? Are they going to a party?"

"Blackjack says that these are how they naturally look," Percy responded in between laughter.

That made Thalia fall to the ground and laugh even harder.

Zoe continued to look confused. "What is thy problem?" she asked, confused. "What is wrong with those ridiculous get-up they're wearing?"

This made Percy, Thalia and Grover nearly cry while laughter as Adria did her best to explain to Zoe. When she was done, Zoe still looked confused. "I do not understand. These are... ponies from a TV show?"

"Yes," Adria answered, embarrassed.

"And what is with the ridiculous names? Rainbow... Dash? Twilight Sparkle? Applejack Are they sacred animals of Ladies Iris, Artemis and Demeter?"

The two demigods were rolling on the ground, their stomachs hurting from laughing too hard. Grover gave a couple of bleats of laughter. If anything, Adria looked even more embarrassed. "No," she answered. "They're from a TV show for children. Lord Apollo was the one to come up with the idea as a way to pay thanks to Lord Poseidon."

Zoe was annoyed at how the others were laughing. "Stop laughing at me!" she yelled, stomping her foot. They continued laughing.

After five long and painful minutes of laughing, they got on top of the pegasi. Zoe angrily declared that she would ride on Twilight Sparkle, since the name related to Artemis in a way. This made everyone, even Adria, to laugh at her. The pegasi whinnied in laughter. Furious and embarrassed. Zoe yelled at everyone to stop.

Adria joined her on Twilight Sparkle. Grover and Percy got onto Applejack, taking some apples as they did so. Thalia was able to strap Markus onto Rainbow Dash while getting onto the pegasus herself. "Markus is going to be so jealous that he couldn't see Zoe's reaction," she smirked to the others, doing her gest to get rid of her gnawing fear of heights.

Percy and Grover nodded in agreement while Zoe growled.

Pretty soon, they were in the air and heading towards Sans Francisco.

 **Finished! What a chapter!**

 **So, Samael is dead, Nevada, Hephaestus' Junkyard and the Hoover Dam is practically destroyed, many pantheons are extremely wary of Markus and Susanoo might get into some trouble, Markus got to slay a dragon, Markus got to slay a dragon in hell. And the finale? Awesome to write. Followed by some humour with some MLP ponies. The last part was because since Hoover Dam was practically destroyed, there'd be no dam jokes in the story. So the ponies were the replacement. Hopefully, you're all dam happy about that.**

 **Hope y'all liked the fight. On Earth, Markus pretty much destroyed Samael. In hell? He almost died and had to actually struggle. Something he hasn't done since coming back from his training trip. And I'm just getting started.**

 **There'll be two more non-canon fights, then off to fight Atlas. Not telling you what they are.**

 **Something I want to ask about the story. Should I make another story as a sequel to this one? Because - to be honest - what I have planned is going to possibly make it up to 80 chapters or something. Personally, if I saw a story with over 90 chapters or something, I might not read it. Unless it's really really good. And I know some people feel the same way, so that's why I asked. I'm content with just continuing with this chapter, as I'm greedy and want a lot of reviews, follows and favs for my story. Not that I'm not thankful for all of you guys. Let me know what you think.**

 **Also, good news: Markus has his own wiki page on Percy Jackson fanfiction wiki. I wrote it up myself. If any of you guys are good with wikis and enjoy the story to help it if you wish. It would really mean a lot.**

 **The link is Pjofanficwikia-Markus-Henderson-Arcane-Chaos. Thanks!**

 **Now, review time:**

 **1) I could adapt to either idea. Not against it. The blunt sword could go both ways. And I do like your suggestion of enchanting the force and area. Jashin won't make an appearance on the quest, but he will be important later in the story. And I already used a Hidan OC in Celestial Ascension, so... And yes, they work like their Highschool DxD counterpart. And he will time travel, though that'll be later.**

 **2) The two fandoms are something that I like as well. And youkai will be a big part of an arc later on in the story, so be patient. Hopefully, you'll like it. And good observation.**

 **3) I have considered your request, and I love it. Truthfully, I was going to send Markus to the canon timeline of Naruto. But the Warring states Timeline. It's actually more interesting and war-torn than the canon timeline. And it'll be something that I'll love writing. And the reactions would be really fun to write. Thank you very much for the request and you thinking that I can pull it off.**

 **4) No I haven't heard of the Drakengard franchise. Is it good? I could check it out and get back to you.**

 **5) Story's been updated, and it's good that you think the story's awesome.**

 **Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r. I love y'all.**

 **No flamers, please! Read and Review!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45:**

"Uh, Thalia? Are you alright?" Percy asked the daughter of Zeus, who was breathing in heavily while riding Rainbow Dash. The questers were flying on their pegasi over Sierras. With any luck, they should make it to San Francisco in only a couple of hours.

"I'm fine," Thalia grit out, trying to calm herself. She still was scared of heights. While she could fly, she could only manage levitating a few feet off the ground. Anything higher than that and she panicked.

"Are you sure?" Percy asked. "Maybe we should-"

"I'm fine, Kelp Head," she insisted, even though she really wasn't.

"Oh? Is the mighty daughter of Zeus afraid of heights?" Zoe taunted while riding Twilight Sparkle alongside Adria.

"At least I didn't act stupid while meeting a couple of ponies," Thalia retorted. The boys oohed while Zoe narrowed her eyes.

"What was that?" she whispered dangerously.

"You heard me, you old hag!"

"You ill-tempered child!"

"Can both of you calm down?" Percy butted in, only to get shot down by getting glared at. "Or fight. Don't mind me," he said meekly.

Adria sighed. "Enough, please. We need to focus on the quest."

Thalia and Zoe kept glaring at each other, then huffed.

At that particular moment, Markus - who was strapped to Rainbow Dash - groaned, stirring. The others looked to see him slowly opening his eyes, then blinking. He tried to move, but found that he couldn't.

"Don't strain yourself, Markus," Thalia said gently, though the comfort in her voice was layered with nervousness. "You're fine. Rest a little."

"Don't feel like it," Markus muttered. Then he yawned. He felt the wind hitting his face. "Are we flying?"

"Yeah," Grover answered.

"Pegasi?" he queried.

"Well... technically," Percy said, struggling to maintain a straight face.

"Define technically. Hey, Blackjack."

 _'Sup, boss' bro. You good?_ Markus heard in his mind.

"Peachy. Percy, are we riding on pegasi or not?"

"Yes, but... they're also ponies."

"What do you mean by-" Markus stopped when he fully inspected the pegasus that he was riding. He was silent for a moment, and then he spoke. "Am I riding Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes," Thalia answered this time.

Markus didn't say anything, the confusion obvious. "Okay, let me rephrase that: _why_ am I riding Rainbow Dash?"

"Because Twilight Sparkle and Applejack are occupied," Percy said with a straight face, before breaking down into laughter along with Grover and Thalia.

"Are you shitting me?" Markus asked. What the hell had he missed while he was unconscious.

"Nope," Grover answered, chuckling.

Markus was silent for another moment, before he shrugged. "At least I'm on the most superfly pegasus. No offense, Blackjack."

 _Some offense taken,_ Blackjack neighed, a little angry.

 _Thank you, milord_ , Rainbow Dash neighed, happy.

"No problem. And don't call me 'milord'. Call me Markus."

 _But I can't! It's disrespectful!_

"Dashie, I'm one of the most disrespectful people that you'll ever meet. I don't mind, seriously."

 _Uh... how about 'bossman'?_

"Dashie, you...," Markus sighed. "You know what? Fine. Bossman it is."

 _Awesome! Hey, bossman. Can I be your steed?_

Markus grinned. "Of course. Now I can ride my majestic steed into battle! My enemies will fear the mighty Rainbow Dash!"

The others looked to Percy. "Mind telling us what happened?" Thalia asked the only other person who can horsespeak.

"Markus got a new pegasus," Percy summarised. He looked to his brother. "You really want to name your pegasus Rainbow Dash?"

Markus tried to shrug. "It's his name. Plus, wouldn't it be badass and funny to ride your superfly pegasus Rainbow Dash into battle?"

The others had the mental image of Markus riding Rainbow Dash and heading towards an army, sword raised in the air. Percy, Grover, Thalia laughed, while Adria and Zoe shook their heads.

 _Thank you, bossman,_ Rainbow Dash whinnied happily. _You won't ever find a more spunky pegasus than me!_

Markus grinned. "Hope not! Now... can someone untie me?"

"Markus, we're flying," Percy deadpanned.

He nodded. "Right."

And so he vibrated his body, phasing through the rope and Rainbow Dash. The others yelled out in alarm, only to stop as Markus fell and started flying using the winds. He met up with the flying pegasi as the others watched shocked.

"You... You're flying," Percy said simply.

"Master of observation, you are," Markus clapped mockingly.

"But... how?" Grover asked, stunned. "You're the son of Poseidon, not Zeus!"

Markus grinned widely. "A secret."

"Thou-" Zoe shook her head. "No. I have had enough of surprises. Whenever thou does one thing, I am surprised by the next thing."

"More fun that way," Markus replied, ceasing his flying and straddled Rainbow Dash, behind Thalia. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned onto her back. He sighed, her pine scent in his nose. "So, where we going?"

San Francisco," Percy answered.

"And who's idea was it?"

"Mine," Zoe answered tersely, as if expecting him to rebuke her.

She was surprised when he shrugged. "Good. Mount Othrys is close, anyways. That's where Artemis is."

"How do you know that?" Adria asked.

"A dream," he answered simply. "Initially, it was hard to pinpoint. But Atlas made it easy for me to locate him." Markus noticed that Zoe flinched at Atlas' name again. He hummed, stroking Thalia's hair.

"You back at full strength?" Percy asked.

"More or less," Markus answered distractedly, hugging Thalia close.

"Aren't you clingy?" Thalia asked, mirth in her eyes.

Markus only leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "You okay?"

Thalia didn't ask what he meant. She knew what he was talking about. She nodded. "A little tense, but I'll manage."

"Nothing will happen to you. I promise," Markus said. She relaxed under his touch.

The others looked at the scene. Grover smiled while Adria looked annoyed. Zoe, however, looked curious about something, which was unlike her. Percy had a curious look, wondering when the two hooked up. He shrugged. He was happy for them. The two were so alike that it was a little scary. They were perfect for each other.

Markus leaned into her ear to whisper something again. "Hey. I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?" Thalia asked, turning to look at him. It was a good thing too, since it helped take her mind off of the flying.

Markus smiled. "It's a birthday present. One I'm sure you'll love."

She smirked. "First Green Day and now this. I think you like spoiling me."

"Very much. But I won't tell you. It's better if I told you after the quest." While he wanted to tell her that Jason was alive, he couldn't. His oath on the Styx prevented him. If he told her that Jason was alive, then she'd ask where he was. And that was if she was willing to actually believe him. He wouldn't leave her hanging onto the fact the her brother was alive, only to not know where he was.

As the flew, Percy recounted what had happened with Zoe and the ponies. Markus laughed while Zoe looked like a burning tomato. Other than that, the group flew in silence. The mountains fell away into hills, and they were zipping along over farmland and towns and highways.

Grover played his pipes to pass the time. Zoe and Adria got bored and started shooting arrows at random billboards as they flew by. Every time they saw a Target department store - and they managed passed dozens of them - they would peg the store's sign with a few bulls-eyes at a hundred miles an hour. Percy and Grover rested for a bit. Markus applied sticking charms onto them so that they wouldn't fall.

After a long flight, the pegasi whinnied loudly. alerting the others. They looked around, only to see that they were able to see San Francisco. It was a sight to behold. It was quite beautiful for those who had their eyes open. In a sense, it was like a smaller, cleaner Manhattan, if Manhattan had been surrounded by green hills and fog. There was a huge bay and ships, islands and sailboats, and the Golden Gate Bridge sticking up out of the fog.

Markus pulled out his Waterland disposable camera and snapped a couple of pictures. "Got to save it for the postcard home," he said to the looks the others were giving him.

Percy smiled at that and replied jokingly. "Oh yeah. It should say, 'Greeting from Frisco, haven't died yet! Wish you were here!"

Markus laughed at that.

"There," Zoe suggested, ignoring the boy's banter at the moment. "By the Embarcadero Building."

It was early morning and not many people were around, which was good. However, they did freak out a homeless guy on the ferry dock when they landed. He screamed when he saw the pegasi and ran off yelling something about chicken ponies. Markus and Percy cracked up at that.

The group said goodbye to the pegasi. Markus promised to see Rainbow Dash later. They flew off soon after.

"So… where to now?" Percy asked, having no idea where to go next since they had made it to the West Coast. Artemis was around here somewhere, however, they didn't know where to look and they didn't have much time left due to tomorrow being the winter solstice.

"We have to find this monster that will 'show us the trail,'" Markus said.

"Indeed and I know who to ask," Zoe stated while keeping Thalia steady. The child of the sky was a bit air sick at the moment. It was surprising, since the two hated each other.

"But how?" Percy asked.

"Nereus," Grover helped.

"The guy Apollo mentioned?" Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "Isn't he the old guy from the sea that was gave heroes answers when needed?"

"You're learning," Markus applauded.

"How do we find him?" Grover asked.

"We follow the smell," Zoe answered, making a face.

"What?" Thalia was sure that she heard her wrong. "Did you say 'smell'?"

Zoe nodded. "Come," she said without enthusiasm. "I will show thee."

And so the questers followed her to a Goodwill drop box. Zoe picked up a large ragged flannel shirt, large jeans, bright sneakers and a floppy rainbow hat. "One of thee wear these," she said to both Markus and Percy.

"No," both of them denied at the same time.

Zoe frowned. "This is no time for being childish. One of thee needs to wear these to lure Nereus."

"And why do we have to do this?" Markus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"As sons of Poseidon, thou would have a better chance than any of us. If Nereus decided to jump into the sea, thou would have the home advantage."

"Why don't you wear it?" Percy asked. Well, more like whined.

"Simple," Zoe said with a straight face. "Because the clothes smell, and I refuse to wear them."

The two gaped while the others laughed. "T-That's a good enough reason," Thalia said while laughing.

Both brothers glared at her and the others. Percy turned to Markus. "You do it."

"Fuck no," Markus frowned. "Why do I have to do it?"

"You have superspeed. You can easily catch him before he tries to escape."

"You're perfectly capable of doing it. Don't be lazy."

"You do not get to say that," Percy deadpanned. "Out of all of us, you are the laziest."

"Hey!" Markus frowned. "I'm _very_ active."

"Those pizzas that you eat say otherwise."

"Do _not_ diss the pizzas, Blue Boy. You eat so much blue food if I punched you in the gut, you'd puke blue."

Percy made to argue, but paused. "That actually might be pretty cool."

Markus scoffed. "Only you would say that."

"Don't see the problem with it."

"Of course not. If you pulled up your shirt, all you'd see is fat. I'm pure muscle."

"Yeah, sure. You a fan of Heracles? You certainly have the brawn but lack the brain."

"You little shi-"

"Shut up!" Zoe yelled, startling the questers, the homeless guys and other people walking. She took a large breath to calm herself. "Thou act like the dumbest of bulls! Hard-headed and stupid!"

"... Are you on your period?" Markus suddenly asked, making the others gape and Percy to fall over in laughter. He laughed even harder when he saw that Markus was actually serious. "Because you're unusually angry. Or maybe I haven't noticed." Markus paused as a thought came to him. "Wait. You're immortal, right? So... since your body doesn't age, you're in a constant cycle of hormones and periods. Gods, I feel sorry for you. All of that hormonal stress. All of that bleeding. I pity you-"

"Shut. Up. Now," Zoe and Adria snarled. The others could feel the bloodlust coming from them.

Markus frowned. "Wait. You know what a period is, but you don't know My Little Pony? How does that work?"

"I will kill thee," Zoe swore, madness in her eyes. "I don't care how long it takes. I don't care if thee are more powerful than me, I will kill thee and hang your entrails across the camp. Then castrate thee with the rustiest knife I can find. Along with lemon juice. _Rotten_ lemon juice."

Markus nodded, not affected in the slightest. "Yep. You're on your period. Do you want tampons? Because I can go buy them right now-"

Zoe yelled in frustration and shot arrows at him. Markus already moved, heading towards Nereus. He didn't know what he looked like, but he could follow his energy signature.

At the end of the pier, there was a guy who looked about a million years old was passed out in a patch of sunlight. He wore pajamas and a fuzzy bathrobe that probably used to be white. He was fat, with a white beard that had turned yellow, kind of like Santa Claus, if Santa had been rolled out of bed and dragged through a landfill.

Markus got a whiff of his scent and gagged. He smelled like old, hot seaweed and dead fish. Oh yeah, this was Nereus.

Markus didn't waste any time. He touched him on the shoulder and removed any kinetic energy from his body, immobilizing him.

He grunted, about to move, when he found that he couldn't. "What the-" The old man continued struggling. "What did you do?!"

Markus ignored him and waved his hand to the other homeless people, the Mist taking affect. He looked back at the still struggling Nereus. "Stop moving, you have no chance of escaping. I know you're Nereus. And I also know that you have answers for questions I have." He kept trying to struggle, but it was pointless. He eventually gave up, dejected.

Percy and the others ran down the steps from the pier.

"You got him!" Zoe said.

"Don't be so amazed," Markus deadpanned.

Nereus moaned. "Oh, wonderful. An audience for my humiliation!" He then turned to Markus and glared at him. "And who are you?"

"Son of Poseidon," Markus responded with a nod.

"Curse that upstart! I was here first!"

"Yeah, no one cares," Markus responded.

Nereus glared at him, but couldn't do much of anything. He huffed. "So! The normal deal, I suppose? You'll let me go if I answer your question?"

"We have more than one question," Markus said.

"Only one question per capture! That's the rule."

"Well, you can't go anywhere. So I assume that I get more than one question," Markus responded with a smile. "Or do you want to be frozen forever?"

Nereus growled. "You little upstart! You can't keep me like this!"

Markus turned to the others. "What do you think? I could keep him as my own little fortune cookie. Only, he works."

"You can't just take him, Markus," Grover said.

"Why?"

Grover made to answer, but couldn't. He really didn't have an actual reason.

"Oi! You can't kidnap me!" Nereus barked, suddenly nervous.

Markus had a grin on his face, but the others disagreed. "Where are you going to put him?" Percy asked. "And don't say our cabin. Or camp."

The son of Poseidon had a thoughtful look. Where was he going to put him? He shrugged. "Pocket dimension."

"Pocket dimension? You know what? I don't want to know," Thalia said, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "But why do you want to kidnap him?"

Markus frowned. "'Kidnap' is a strong word. More like taking him and never returning him back."

"I'm not an object!" Nereus yelled.

"Enough of this," Zoe butted in, frowning. "We need to ask him the question."

Percy sighed. "All right, I'll ask. Nereus, tell me where to find this terrible monster that could bring an end to the gods. The one Artemis was hunting."

The Old Man of the Sea smiled, showing off his mossy green teeth.

"Oh, that's too easy," he said evilly. "He's right there."

He nudged his head towards the water at Percy's feet.

"Where?" Percy said.

"There! I answered your question! Now let me go!" Nereus yelled, still wriggling to move.

Markus scoffed. "Nope. Still got more questions for you."

"But that's not fair!" he whined.

"Life isn't fair. Suck it up."

"Wait." Thalia's eyes widened. "What is _that_?"

"MOOOOOOOO!"

Percy looked down, and there was his friend the cow serpent, swimming next to the dock. She nudged his shoe and gave him the sad brown eyes.

Markus kept his hold on Nereus, draining him of kinetic energy. "Percy. You know this thing?"

"Ah, Bessie," Percy said. "Not now."

"You named it 'Bessie'?" Thalia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Mooo!"

Grover gasped. "He says his name isn't Bessie. And he doesn't liked to be called an 'it'."

"You can understand her… er, him?"

Grover nodded. "It's a very old form of animal speech. But he says his name is the Ophiotaurus."

"Serpent bull," Markus muttered. "What's it doing here?"

"Moooooooo!"

Markus created a speed clone to mind Nereus as he walked up to the creature. He looked him in the eye, seeing the innocence. "He's kind of cute," he said, reaching up to tickle his chin. The Ophiotaurus mooed lowly in happiness.

"He says Percy is his protector," Grover announced. "And he's running from the bad people. He says they are close. And he also says to keep scratching him."

Markus smiled, doing so.

"Wait," Zoe said, looking at Percy. "You know this cow?"

Percy was feeling impatient, but he told them the story about how they met and how it helped him get on the quest.

Thalia shook her head in disbelief. "And you just forgot to mention this before?"

"Well… yeah." It seemed silly, now that she said it, but things had been happening so fast. Bessie, the Ophiotaurus, seemed like a minor detail.

"I am a fool," Zoe said suddenly. "I know this story!" Adria had a knowing look on her face.

"Story?" Markus asked.

"From the War of the Titans," she said. "My… my father told me this tale, thousands of years ago. This is the beast we are looking for."

"How can this cute guy destroy the world?" Percy asked.

"That is how we were wrong," Zoe said. "We've been anticipating a huge dangerous monster, but the Ophiotaurus does not bring down the gods that way. He must be sacrificed."

"MMMM," Bessie lowed. Markus calmed him down by patting his head and scratching behind his ears, sensing his distress.

"I don't think he likes the S-word," Grover said.

"How could anyone hurt him?" Percy asked. "He's harmless."

Zoe nodded. "But there is power in killing innocence. It was a terrible power. "The Fates ordained a prophecy eons ago, when this creature was born. They said that whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed its entrails to fire would have the power to destroy the gods."

"MMMMMM!"

"Um," Grover said. "Maybe we could avoid talking about _entrails_ too."

Markus scoffed. "I didn't need a serpent bull or a prophecy to have the power to destroy gods. But still..." Markus had a small hungry look in his eyes. He licked his lips, scaring the Ophiotaurus and making it wriggle away from him.

Percy and the others looked unnerved. They became even more unnerved as Thalia had the same look. She stared at the cow serpent with wonder. "The power to destroy the gods… how? I mean, what would happen?"

"No one knows," Zoe said. "The first time, during the Titan war, the Ophiotaurus was in fact slain by a giant ally of the Titans, but thy father, Zeus, sent an eagle to snatch the entrails away before they could be tossed into the fire. It was a close call. Now, after three thousand years, the Ophiotaurus is reborn."

Thalia sat down on the dock. She stretched out her hand. Bessie went right to her. Thalia placed her hand on his head. Bessie shivered.

The hungry look in both Markus' and Thalia's scared them. Percy was even more scared, because he knew the reasons: their fatal flaws.

Markus was in a conundrum. Truthfully, he didn't need the Ophiotaurus. He already had the power to destroy the gods. Hell, he could even destroy the Titans if he so wished. But the fight with Samael reminded him that, for all his power, he was still able to die. It was a slight humbling experience for him. Even though he won the fight, he had to struggle, and almost died. Something he didn't want to happen again. A little more power wouldn't hurt, would it?

He might've actually burned the entrails right now, but he got a hold of himself. He was in control, not his greed. More power was good, great even. But one look into the Ophiotaurus' eyes made him rethink. His sad gaze, downtrodden expression and helpless face stopped him. Maybe it was because he was a sort of sea-creature. Maybe the innocent expression got to him. But he managed to calm himself down, somewhat.

Markus closed his eyes, sighing. He looked to Thalia, who had the same expression that he did. "Thalia," he said, snapping her out of her expression. "Do you want to burn his entrails?"

The Ophiotaurus mooed loudly, scurrying away. The others looked shocked at his question, Thalia included.

"What are you doing, Markus?!" "How can you ask that?!" "Are thy insane?!" came the shouts from the others, but Markus ignored them. Only looking at Thalia's electric orbs that were filled with shock.

"Wh-What?" she asked, stunned that he would ask that. Sure, she wanted the power. Badly. She could escape the prophecy. She could defeat the Titans. She could even get back at her deadbeat dad. But... "Why do you want me to? Don't you want it?"

Markus scoffed. "Thals, I already have the power to destroy the gods. I don't need the entrails. I'm asking you because I can see it in your eyes." She flinched, but Markus wrapped an arm around her, frowning. "Thalia, you have nothing to be ashamed of. If you want the power, simply say so. I'll help you. I won't think any less of you. I promise you. So I'll ask again. Do you want it?"

She stared into his eyes, seeing his honesty. He honestly didn't care if she said yes. He'd do it for her without question. She felt extremely grateful for that. He wouldn't think any less of her. He'd still love her. This was one of things she loved about Markus: he wouldn't judge her on whatever she did. He'd either support her or caution her whenever she did something stupid.

Thalia looked at the Ophiotaurus. His sad gaze struck a chord in her. He even seemed to shed a small tear, as if accepting his fate. She... didn't want to kill him. She wanted the power... but it wasn't worth an innocent life. She couldn't do it.

She shook her head slowly. "No." She slowly walked towards the creature and patted him on his head. "I... don't need it. Besides, I have you to protect me, right?"

Markus smiled, walking forward and kissing her lightly. He ended it, looking at her. "Yeah. Though I know that you can handle yourself." She nodded, smiling.

"Hello!" Nereus yelled, startling the others. Markus' speed clone was still holding him. "I'm still here."

"Oh." Markus blinked. "Forgot you were there." He reluctantly removed his arms around Thalia and walked towards him. He hummed, turning to the others. "Ask him what you want."

The others blinked. "You sure?" Percy asked.

"Yes I'm sure. Ask him."

The others scrunched their faces in though, wondering what to ask Nereus. Thalia stepped up, having her question. "Will I die when I turn sixteen?"

At the powerful glare Markus gave him, Nereus knew that he had no choice but to answer. "No."

Thalia sighed, a huge weight taken off her shoulders. "Thank the gods."

Markus pouted. "I thought we agreed that I would be the one to save you."

"I know, sweetie," Thalia grinned, walking towards him and pinching his cheek. "I just wanted reassurance."

Markus huffed, crossing his arms. "Sure, you did. So unfaithful..."

"Will I find Pan?" Grover asked passionately, fingers crossed and eyes closed.

Embarrassed that he was nothing more than a glorified fortune teller, Nereus glowered. "Yes."

Grover was so shocked, happy and emotional from the word that he cried. Percy patted him on the back as the satyr sobbed in happiness.

"Will we rescue Lady Artemis?" Zoe asked, Adria nodding beside her.

"Yes."

Zoe didn't become as emotional as Grover, but she did smile lightly. Her eyes twinkled with happiness. Adria had the same expression. "That is good to hear."

"Will we win the war against Kronos?" Percy asked. Everyone tensed up at that question.

Nereus scrunched his face up. "I... I don't know."

"What?!" Percy exclaimed in shock. The others had similar expressions. "What do you mean you don't know? You're supposed to know!"

Nereus glared at him. "For your information, brat, I don't know everything. I can only answer a question that has a solid path ahead. All of your other questions are bound to happen, no fuss. But the war? That's harder. Plus, with all the new additions that he-" Nereus jerked his head in Markus' direction "-brought, the path is even murkier."

Markus took a moment to register this. So, the future was unclear. They could either win the war, or die, and the world is destroyed. He put that at the back of his mind. "Well, I got a question: if we do rescue Artemis, who do we face? And be specific about their powers specifically."

Nereus scrunched up his face in thought. "In a few moments, you will face some demigods. Though they ain't Greek, and I don't know of which origin. You will then face a horde of demons. Not really strong except for the big guy. He's powerful. After that, you will fight Atlas, rogue demigods and monsters. Atlas has an unknown power that boosts his level to that of the Big Three." The questers looked horrified by this while Markus raised an eyebrow. Well that was new. And who were these new demigods? Soldiers of Kronos?

Suddenly, Markus sensed seven beings close by. Not ready to strike, but in hiding. He frowned. An ambush?

Markus nodded. "That's fine. You can go now."

Before Nereus could argue, he was pushed into an Atlantean water portal spell. He only had time to yelp before he vanished. The Ophiotaurus was also pulled into a water portal, not even getting the chance to moo.

"What's going on? Where did you send them?" Percy asked, confused.

Markus frowned. "We're not alone."

"Well damn," a voice said loudly. "I thought we managed to hide ourselves pretty well."

And with that, the air in front of the group shifted, as if a trick of the light. Markus could detect the signs of an illusion. A really good one. The illusion faded away to show a group of teenagers. They ranged in age from fourteen to nineteen. Markus frowned, actually a bit worried. Not for him but for the others. These demigods... they had a familiar aura around them.

There were four boys and three girls. One of them, who seemed to give off an aura of superiority, had long brown hair and stormy blue eyes. His hair was in a ponytail, and seemed to be done up quite well. He was of Asian descent, garbed in normal clothes that a teenager would wear; sneakers, jeans, a blue t-shirt and a sports jacket. He looked to be sixteen, and could be considered very handsome. However, he had steely look in his eyes, which quickly turned into anger when he looked at Markus. The son of Poseidon was reminded of Susanoo, surprisingly.

Another boy stood beside the first one. While he didn't have the aura of power as the first boy, he was still strong in his own right. He was of African-American heritage, with cold brown eyes. His frame was lanky and skinny, and he looked to be about fourteen. He wore a black Japanese kimono that had the moving image of a moon-lit sky. It also seemed to be a bit too big for him. He had an aura of mystery around him.

The third one looked like an American boy, and had a cocky attitude around him. He wore a leather jacket, ripped jeans, and scuffed boots. It was like looking at a male Thalia, only with blonde hair and green eyes. Markus found the comparison to his girlfriend disturbing. He was around sixteen as well.

The fourth boy was tall, of Puerto Rican descent. He had broad shoulders, strong arms, and an ominous build. His eyes were electric blue, like Thalia's. He had black hair cut short, and a stoic expression. He wore an army jacket, black jeans and boots. He had a powerful electric aura around him, and Markus got a feel of ozone. He looked to be nineteen.

Moving onto the girls; the one in front with the first boy was breathtakingly beautiful. She had silky black hair that fell down like a waterfall behind her back. She had crimson eyes that seemed to ooze arrogance. She wore a black kimono with the moving image of the sun in the sky. She wore hakama pants and sandals. She carried a katana that was sheathed at her hip, and looked to be sixteen.

The second girl was of Asian descent, and quite beautiful. She had short black hair and dull blue eyes with freckles on her face. She wore ripped jeans, a T-shirt, and had some jewellery on her. She gave off a bored expression and acted as if she was emotionless. She was fourteen.

The last girl had brown hair and red eyes like the first girl, only hers were scarlet in colour. She wore a red one-sleeved dress that went to her shins and high heels. She had red lipstick on and seemed to have a cruel expression on her face. She looked to be seventeen or eighteen.

Markus frowned, feeling their aura and powers. Now he knew why the first boy looked similar to Susanoo. These were Shinto demigods. Just his luck. "What are you doing here?" Markus asked evenly, already tense. The others had their weapons out, unsure as to who the demigods were.

The boy in front seemed to be the one in charge. Him and the crimson-eyed girl. When he spoke, Markus could feel the strength in it, as well as the anger. "The famous Markus Henderson. I am honoured." He gave a mocking bow, the girl at his side smirking.

Markus raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I'm surprised that you know of me. Tell me, what are Shinto demigods doing here?" The questers at his side were shocked. Shinto? What was with the non-Greek elements on this quest?!

This time, the crimson-eyed girl spoke. "Why, who hasn't heard of the champion of my uncle, Susanoo? Quite a surprise that a _Greek_ would claim such a title." She said 'Greek' as if the word was a disease.

"Markus, what is she talking about?" Thalia asked, muscles tensed.

"Oh?" The girl sounded amused. "You didn't know? Well, allow me to enlighten you, _Greek._ He-" she pointed to Markus "-is the champion of the Shinto god of storms, Susanoo. My uncle."

"Susanoo?" Percy looked to his brother, who had a neutral expression on his face. "Shinto? Markus, what is she saying? I thought that your title as the 'champion of storms' was due to Poseidon."

"Thy lied to us?" Zoe said, suspicion and anger in her tone. She held her bow tightly in her hand.

Markus turned to look at her. "You have your secrets, Nightshade. Do you see me asking why _you_ don't tell the truth?" At Zoe's flinch, Markus turned to look at the assembled group. "What do you want with me?"

"Them?" the lead boy asked, gesturing to the rest of his group. "Nothing. Me? I want to kill you."

Markus slumped his shoulders. "Why is it that every non-Greek entity wants to kill me? Seriously, go bother something else! And why would the son of Susanoo want to kill his dad's champion? Wouldn't you just earn his ire?"

The son of Susanoo nodded. "That is true. Your death would anger my father, since he sees you as one of his own." His face scrunched up in anger. "But I don't care. Your existence as a champion of a Shinto god is insulting and disgraceful."

Markus raised an eyebrow. "So this is jealousy? Does dear old dad not care about his own son, and instead favours me more?" He remembered when he asked Susanoo about Shinto demigods, he was regretful, as if ashamed. "That's so sad. I can tell why he would be so embarrassed by you."

"Your only digging your grave," the boy snarled. Then his features shifted to a more neutral expression. "Regardless, we will still kill you."

"We?" Markus looked to the others. "You, I get. But why the others? I haven't done anything to you or your parents."

The crimson-eyed girl shrugged. "I just find it distasteful that a Greek would associate with Shinto matters. Nothing more, nothing less."

The African-American boy shrugged. "I follow these two." He gestured to the son of Susanoo and the lead girl. "Wherever they go, I go."

The cocky punk grinned maniacally. "Me? I just want to kill you. I heard all that you've done, both in the Greek world and our own, as brief as it is. I just like the challenge."

The tall guy had a calm expression. "I got dragged into this. Plus, those two would _not_ stop whining." He pointed to Susanoo's son and the crimson-eyed girl.

"I'm going with the flow," the dull-eyed girl responded.

"Same reason as Abigail," the last girl smirked.

"I assume Abigail is the daughter of Amaterasu?" Markus queried, nudging his head towards the crimson-eyed girl. Her clothing identified her parentage. The Greek group had confused faces at the names of the Shinto gods. "Let me see if I got this right. We already know him." He pointed to the son of Susanoo. "You-" he pointed at the younger boy "-are the son of Tsukuyomi. You are-" Markus frowned in thought, feeling the restless energy and unpredictable nature, "-Fūjin's son?" At his nod, Markus continued. "Raijin?" he asked the tall guy, who nodded. He hummed, looking at the girls. "Suijin and Kagutsuchi," he ticked off, then frowned. "Wait, I thought Kagutsuchi was beheaded and cut into eight parts. How'd he have a kid?"

"Was spawned from one of his severed parts," the scarlet-eyed girl informed.

Markus nodded. "Right... so, can you guys go after me when I'm finished my business? I'll have a lot of free time and less stress when dealing with you."

"Sorry," Abigail said, even though she didn't sound sorry. "But we want to kill you now. However..." she looked at the questers, who tensed. "... we wouldn't mind killing your little friends."

"You touch them and I will mind rape the shit out of you and leave you as a vegetable," Markus said coldly.

Abigail smirked. "Ooh, scary."

"We know that you can and possibly will back up your threat, Markus Henderson," the son of Susanoo said. "We know of your feats, and of your powers. Truthfully, we know that, individually, we stand no chance against you. But all together... well, even someone of your strength will fall."

"Or I could just do this," Markus responded, taking hold of their blood and trying to make them explode. Only, they didn't.

"That won't work," the daughter of Suijin said dully. "We know of your blood control. So we took precautions." Each one of them lifted their hands up, showcasing some seals written on their arms. The kanji translated to 'blood warding'.

Markus clicked his teeth, glaring at them. "Don't you know that if you do this, your interfering with another pantheon? As such, I'm damn sure that your gods will kill you or punish you for this."

"That's true," Abigail nodded. "But you're a Shinto champion, so that point is mute. And while those little weaklings-" she nodded to the questers, who glared "-are fully Greek, all we have to do is make sure that all of this is kept quiet."

"Markus," Thalia prodded his back. "We can't fight these guys. We have to get to Artemis."

"And you really think they're going to let us go?" Markus responded back.

"We don't have time," Zoe pressed impatiently. "We have to go _now._ "

"It's funny that you think that you have a chance," the son of Susanoo interrupted. "Considering that none of you are going to live for very long. But alas, introductions are in order. I am Christopher. Or Chris."

"I'm Joshua," the son of Tsukuyomi introduced.

"Thomas," the son of Fūjin said, still grinning.

"Lucas," the son of Raijin spoke lowly.

"Alex," the daughter of Suijin said.

"Rose," the daughter of Kagutsuchi spoke arrogantly.

"I don't care," Markus responded, glaring. "This isn't an anime in which you introduce yourself before a fight."

"Where do you think we got it from?" Joshua grinned.

Before any of the Greeks could say anything, each one of them charged at them; Chris and Abigail to Markus, Alex to Percy, Lucas to Thalia, and Thomas, Rose and Joshua to Zoe, Adria and Grover. Chris summoned a totsuka blade to his hand, meeting Markus' charge with Wavebreaker. The Greek blade groaned under the strike from the powerful blade. Abigail unsheathed her katana and started attacking at Markus as well. Both strikes from the Shinto demigods pushed Markus back, near the edge of the pier.

 _(Markus vs. Christopher and Abigail)_

Thinking quickly, Markus pushed power into his legs and jumped backwards out of the pier and onto the water, freezing it for a solid surface. Chris jumped onto the icy surface, as well as Abigail. Markus immediately liquefied the water, but Chris took control of his section of water and held it in place. Meanwhile, Abigail grew wings similar in structure to a phoenix's from her back made of black fire. Allowing her to fly.

Markus quickly inspected his sword, seeing some cracks on it. Guess the blade won't be able to hold for much longer. He channeled his divine energy to strengthen it. Just in time, too. Markus clashed with Chris, lightning sparking off his form.

Markus sneered. "Is the little baby jealous that his daddy likes me better than you?"

Snarling Chris disengaged, going for a controlled but powerful swing that would've beheaded Markus, if he hadn't ducked and went for a strike across his chest. However, Chris moved inhumanely quick, dodging and slicing downwards. Markus deflected the strike and - with kinetic energy - gave a powerful Spartan kick that winded him, making him fly backwards.

Before Markus could do anything, his skin boiled as he felt the incoming attack from behind. He zipped away, watching as a large stream of black flames melted the ice and even the surrounding water, instantly evaporating it. The scary thing was that the flames kept on burning, never extinguishing.

Looking at the smug Abigail in the air, Markus made to move, but blocked a swing from Chris that would've destroyed his spine. A shockwave was created, parting the remaining waves and flames slightly.

Both boys grunted, trying to overpower one another. Abigail kept on raining down spears of black flames, making both boys dodge. Markus wondered why she was ruining her teammates advantage, but guessed that they weren't playing for the same team, despite being of the same pantheon.

Chris made to strike Markus again, but Markus phased through his attack, vibrating his body. Markus punched forward, still vibrating his body and went to hit his chest. Just as his fist passed through his chest and touched his heart, Markus moved, immediately dodging the small but deadly projectile of flames. Chris gasped, kneeling onto the frozen ocean and clutching his chest, feeling his heart in pain. Even if Markus only touched his heart, the contact still injured him.

Markus mentally went over ways in which that he could that he could deal with the flying Abigail, and came up with one. "Yūrei Idō," he chanted.

As Abigail was flying in the air, she was suddenly hit by an unknown and invisible force from above, making her grunt and head straight to the frozen sea. Seeing his chance, Markus leaped into the air, exchanging Wavebreaker for Yamato. He unsheathed his blade and slashed at the falling demigoddess, cutting and slashing through dimensions. Panicking, Abigail coated her entire body with black flames, essentially creating an armour of flames. This didn't stop Markus, as he was cutting through the flames and making them part slightly. Abigail quickly burst into black flames, reappearing onto the frozen sea, panting.

Markus landed on the ground, scowling.

Chris managed to recover, walking to stand beside her. "You should be more careful," he warned. "I told you not to underestimate him. Where is your arrogance now?"

"Shut up!" Abigail snarled. "You _don't_ order me around!" Before she could say anything, it air got colder. Deadly cold. Both Chris and Abigail - who never got cold - shivered as the surrounding black flames suddenly froze, before shattering.

Abigail scowled, heating her body and Chris'. She glared at the son of Poseidon. "How did you do that?! The flames of Amaterasu can't be extinguished!"

Markus didn't say anything. His body produced an icy mist that froze the molecules in the air solid, before shattering. His Yin tattoo glowed on his back, producing inky darkness that covered his body. Markus' Devil Bringer was revealed, making his eyes glow red. The ice that they were standing on slowly turned black, being the result of Markus' demonic ice control. Not only could he control black water, but - by extension - black ice. More deadlier and colder than normal ice. The darkness, black ice and Devil Bringer created an imposing image to the Shinto demigods, who shivered.

"I'm going to ruin you," Markus said simply, annoyed at the Shinto demigods before him and their allies.

Abigail smirked while Chris didn't show any emotion. She burst into her signature divine flames, the element acting as armour. Chris was coated in lightning that was pure blue in colour.

Neither of them said anything. Markus dashed forward, ice, mist and darkness trailing after him. The two Shinto demigods met his charge. When they clashed, the surrounding frozen sea shook and burst into an explosion of black flames, lightning, black ice and darkness.

 _(Zoe, Adria and Grover vs. Joshua, Thomas and Rose)_

As Markus were fighting the other two demigods, and Percy and Thalia were dealing with Alex and Lucas respectively, the Hunters and satyr were dealing with their own opponents. Zoe and Adria rolled out of the blades of wind that Thomas created while Grover scampered away from Rose's fiery blast.

"Come on, bitches!" Thomas hollered, bloodlust in his eyes. "You gonna run away or are you gonna fight?!" Thomas immediately started on the offense, sending balls and swords of wind at the Hunters, who displayed incredible acrobatic skills. They dodged, weaved and ducked around the projectiles and responded in kind with their arrows. The homeless people scrambled away, yelling and screaming about a freak tornado. Thomas just just kept disappearing and reappearing in the wind, his cocky grin on his face.

"Is that all you bitches got?!" Thomas taunted. "How sad. Two cum rags who follow a delusional two-faced bitch!"

Adria snarled, about to charge, but Zoe held her wrist tightly. The lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis had rage written on her face, but still remained calm.

Thomas pouted. "You know, it's no fun if you don't react to my banter." Just as he said that, an explosion of fire erupted behind him, making him jump slightly. "Oi, Rose! Watch where you're fucking aiming at!"

"Fuck you, too!" she yelled, trying to roast the stupid goat that kept scampering about.

Grover immediately darted towards the Hunters, his fur singed. He panted, his heart beating rapidly.

"This isn't working," Adria muttered. "We can't touch him, the girl is flinging fire everywhere, and-" She looked around, alert. "Where's the other boy?"

Immediately after saying that, both Hunters and satyr moved from the spot that they were previously on, dodging a beam of powerful lunar light. They quickly saw that Joshua had his hand, outstretched.

He looked to his fellow demigods. "You two need to shut up and work together."

Thomas scowled. "Why don't you mind your own business, kid?" Before he could say anything, he and the other Shinto demigods dodged a speeding attack by Markus' speed clone.

Thomas grinned widely. "Finally! The one I've been waiting for!"

Markus' clone scoffed. "I ain't here for you. Believe me, if I had the energy, I'd kill you myself." He turned to the Hunters and Grover. "'Sup. The head honcho is busy with the firecracker and stormy crybaby. I did, however, got you these." He held some ambrosia, nectar, sealing scroll and canister of water that had a rune on it. He gave it to each respective person. "These are for you. Grover, in this scroll is some nature energy for you to fight with. Zoe, water canister. It keeps on supplying itself with water. You'll need it for your... heritage. Adria, ambrosia and nectar you'll need it. Unfortunately, I had to run and waste some energy getting you the canister and nature energy, so-" He was interrupted by him fizzing out of existence, having spent all of his kinetic energy to gather all of the stuff.

Thomas looked at the spot where Markus' clone disappeared. "Are you fucking kidding me?! He didn't even stay to fight! Coward!"

Zoe, Adria and Grover looked at their respective items. "Thanks, Markus," Grover bleated.

Zoe nodded slowly. She sighed. She never used her powers from her mother. She refused to do so, since using them reminded of her... past. And yet, she had no choice. It was either that or die. "Maybe he is one of the better males out there," Zoe whispered. She smiled lightly, turning to Adria. "Do not tell him I said that."

"Noted," Adria smiled. They turned to face their opponents. "The plan?"

"I will take the girl," Zoe said, determined. She pointed to Rose, who sneered. "Adria, you take on the boy there." She pointed to Joshua. "We don't know his powers, so be vigilant. Grover, you take on the other one." She pointed to Thomas, who sneered.

"Are you kidding me?!" he screeched. "I get to fight the goat bitch?! Bullshit!"

"At least you get an easy opponent," Joshua muttered.

Scowling, Grover unravelled the sealing scroll, letting the natural energy flow through him. His physical features showed the effect of the absorption. His horns lengthened, turning into antlers. His body got a little buffer, but not too much. And his body glowed with a slight green aura.

As Grover was busy admiring his new features, Adria aimed her bow at Joshua and shot arrows at him. Joshua ducked, trying to close in on the group, but was kept at a distance. He didn't seem to be bothered by this, though, if the grin on his face was any indication.

Zoe opened her water canister, using her divine powers and drawing the water from it. She commanded it to sail towards Rose. However, because she hadn't practiced with her powers in a long, long time, the elemental attack was quite weak. Rose sneered, her body coated in flames and evaporating the water.

"Is that it?" she sneered. "Honestly, I don't know why he gave you that little canister. If that's the kind of thing I can expect from you, then this will be no contest."

Zoe snarled. "We'll see about that."

Rose smirked. "Bring it, bitch."

Thomas started attacking Grover out of rage, wind whipping everywhere. He was furious that the fight that he was craving for with Markus was put on hold. And he was fighting a useless satyr. "Don't think that a little fucking pick-me up is going to save you, shit-stain!" he yelled, trying to destroy Grover. However, the satyr kept on jumping and dodging, using his reed pipes and woodland pipes to summon some roots to wrap around Thomas. He noticed that his magic was stronger, his legs were more powerful, allowing him to jump farther and higher. Along with that, he felt a lot stronger. If he survived this, he was going to ask Markus more about this nature energy.

 _(Percy vs. Alex)_

Percy immediately got onto the defensive, taking out both of his swords and batting away bullets and whips of water. Initially, he wasn't worried about this fight. Despite Alex being physically more capable than him, he had water on his side. When she shot water at him from her body by liquefying it - something that he'd seen Markus do - he let it hit him, strengthening him. He even tried to take control of the water, but found that her will surpassed his.

So the two were left at a stalemate. Neither could really harm each other with their respective elements. Which left physical combat. Alex hardened the water at her hands and made it extend to form two swords made out of water. Not even saying anything, the daughter of Suijin charged at the son of Poseidon. They clashed and fought. Each swing of their swords were countered by another. Percy managed to block and slash at Alex, but no damage came to her, since she just liquefied her body. He was really getting annoyed at that.

Alex tried kicking him but Percy dissolved into a cloud of vapour. He commanded his vapour body to form behind her and went for a strike behind her, only for it to pass through her. She slashed at him but he dissolved into vapour again, circling around her and doing his best to find an opening. He reformed again and went for a strike at her again. Alex didn't bother dodging, scoffing. That was where Percy acted.

Channelling earthquake energy to Riptide, he struck. The vibrating blade reached her liquefied body and made the water ripple harshly. Her whole body was now rippling and unable to form a solid body. Alex quickly turned to normal to keep her structure lest she fall apart. Taking this chance, Percy slashed at her. While she was able to dodge, she managed to get nicked on the stomach, creating a tear on her shirt and a cut to open up there.

Grinning, Percy kept on pressing her, slashing and opening more wounds. She backed away, liquefying her body and healing her wounds. She clicked her teeth, annoyed. "Well, this is boring," she muttered.

Percy tried to get the drop on her, but he was unsuccessful. "Why are you doing this?" Percy asked as the two kept on fighting.

"I told you: I'm going with the flow," Alex responded, not bothered by talking while fighting. "Abigail and Chris want Markus Henderson dead for their own reasons. I just follow them."

"But Markus didn't do anything to them!" Percy retorted, ducking a particularly close strike. Going for a different tactic, Percy tried freezing the water vapour around Alex, which worked for a moment... before she unfroze it herself.

"True. But I can't argue with the two of them. They're too stubborn." Alex dodged a swing filled with earthquake energy and kept on attacking. "Plus, Greeks weren't meant to mix with Shinto affairs."

"Look, I get that. But that doesn't mean that you have to go through with this," Percy reasoned, hoping for her to stop. Alas, it was futile.

Alex just blocked another swing and backed away slightly. "This is pointless. Both of us can just use the water to either heal ourselves or strengthen us."

"So just stop fighting," Percy said, not wanting to deal with this. He wasn't having any trouble, far from it, but this was getting them nowhere. Percy was about to move, when he found his body stiff. Frowning, he tried to move again, but found that he couldn't. Then his arm betrayed his movement, dragging Lowtide up slowly, towards his neck.

Percy's eyes went wide as Alex had a satisfied look on her face. "Water may not be effective, but blood... that's something that can work on practically everyone."

 _Blood control,_ Percy thought with panic. He tried to struggle, tried to break free and gain back his movements, but he couldn't. His sword inched closer towards his throat. He was panicking, wondering what he was going do. Was he going to die like this? By his own blade? No. No, he couldn't. Futilely, he struggled and struggled, not wanting to die. He couldn't leave behind his friends and family. His mum, Markus, Grover, Thalia... Annabeth. At that particular thought, he found strength and pushed with all of his might.

Lowtide just touched his throat, producing some blood, when his hand halted, as well as the blade. Taking advantage of his blood, he pushed the arm away and tried to move. He was successful, if only partially. He panted, feeling tired.

"Oh?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "So you can control your own blood. Although it looks like you can't do it often. Oh well, that just makes it more fun." At her wide grin on her usually dull face, Percy feared for his life.

 _(Thalia vs. Lucas)_

Thalia's fight with the son of Raijin went pretty much the same way as Percy's, in that she wasn't really struggling, but she also wasn't able to deal any damage. She went for a stab with her spear, but he allowed it to pierce him. The hole where he was stabbed showed lightning in it. Taking advantage of her shock, Lucas brought out a large knife and went to stab her, but she raised Aegis and used it to bash his face in. Lucas didn't do anything, allowing the shield to hit him and pass through his body. His head and upper body turned into pure lightning, letting him become intangible.

Lucas still had his neutral expression while facing Thalia, who backed away to gain some distance. Lucas' calm exterior pissed Thalia off.

"You need to calm down," Lucas chided calmly. "You can't defeat me as you are. Or even at all."

"Aren't you confident?" Thalia sneered, slamming the butt of her spear onto the ground and allowing a trail of lightning to travel from the butt to Lucas. He didn't say or do anything as the lightning hit him and did absolutely nothing.

Lucas cocked his head to the side. "I thought you were smarter than that. I'm the son of the lightning god. Your lightning has no effect on me."

Thalia growled, knowing that he had a point. Lightning was her better element, and it was useless here. Then again, she was immune to his lightning, so that was something. Summoning her divine powers, she concentrated on the winds, using them to form blades and gusts of wind to blow him back. This only made him stumble slightly, but didn't really knock him back.

Going for broke, she slammed the butt of her spear on the ground again, this time summoning a small twister. Lucas made to move, but was distracted by Thalia using the winds to disturb his concentration. This allowed him to be sucked into the cyclone, tumbling around like a rag doll. He was slightly damaged and disorientated. Gritting his teeth, Lucas discharged a large amount of lightning disrupting the cyclone. He managed to land on the ground, only for Thalia to keep on attacking him, not giving him any chance to recover.

Lucas countered by using his knives to push away her spear and strike at her shield, the terrifying image of Medusa doing nothing to him. Getting bored of the clash, Lucas dispersed into lightning, shocking Thalia. She wasn't bothered by this, only annoyed.

"Fight me like a man, coward!" she yelled, sick of his dodging and attitude. Her only response was more zaps of lightning raining down on her.

Knowing that the lightning didn't work, she sneered. "And you call me stupid?! Lightning doesn't work on me!" She made to move, only to fall down, kneeling. "What the-"

"So it seemed to work," Lucas commented, his body forming from the lightning that was flying around.

Growling, Thalia made to dash at him, but found herself disorientated. Her spear and shield left her hand, her body not responding to her command. "What?" She made to stand, to grab her weapons, something. And yet she found that her body was acting wonky. When she tried to move her hand, her leg twitched and shifted slightly. When she made to move her legs, her fingers moved. "What the Hades did you do to me?!"

"A little trick I learned," Lucas responded calmly. "I've messed up your nerves. I can control your bio-electricity. All your nerves, your brain activity, your impulses... all at my command." At Thalia's fearful and confused expression, he elaborated. "It's something I can do as the son of Raijin. I'd explain it more, but..." Moving quickly, he slashed at her face, slicing her cheek.

She yelled, blood dripping down her face. "... the fight is under my control. Meaning that you won't live long for me to explain it." And so Lucas continued slashing at her, with Thalia doing her best to dodge with her scrambled body. She knew that she was in for the fight of her life right now.

 **Done. So very thankful for that.**

 **We're getting closer to the end of The Titan's Curse. I won't tell you how it'll end, since I want it to be a surprise. In this chapter, Markus has gained a new pegasus (a badass one, if I do say so myself) and encounter Nereus and the Ophiotaurus. And just to be clear, Markus won't burn the Ophiotaurus' entrails. While he is tempted, he doesn't really need the power, as he can already destroy the gods. Him burning them will only increase his power only a little, anyway, so it'd be useless.**

 **Through Nereus, the questers learn answers to the questions they have. I purposefully left Percy's question as a maybe to show that new elements will be added to the Titan War to make it interesting. But that's a story for another time.**

 **Hope you like the addition of the Shinto demigods. I know that their arrival into the story is sudden, may seem like bullshit, or that I just put it together on the spot. I don't blame you for thinking that. But they're actually important for my story. Reasons being that a) it shows that more pantheons will interfere with the Greeks. Mainly due to Markus, and also for other reasons. And b) I want the others to showcase their own strengths and powers. Each opponent will make them think better, fight more brutally, and improve them. And Markus won't hold their hands, since he's having his hands full with Abigail and Chris. I said that the others will be much stronger, so why not show it in battle with demigods not of the Greek pantheon?**

 **And as for Atlas' power-up, you'll have to be patient and wait for next chapter. Or possibly the chapter after.**

 **Also... God of War 4 came out two days ago. And. I. LOVE IT! Just saw it and bought it. And playing it right after this! So excited! ... Ahem. Yeah.**

 **Also... this story reached over 400 reviews! I'm so thankful to you all! Really, I'm so grateful. Never actually thought the story would reach this far, so thanks. To everyone who liked, read, reviewed, followed and favourited the story. (Though I could do without the flamers, but beggars can't be choosers, so meh.)**

 **Now... Guest review answering:**

 **1) Thanks for your opinion. And I do mean splitting the story into two. I don't know about Wolverine's metal skeleton, but we'll see. Thanks for the idea. And I don't know about him tracing godly weapons, but I'll think about it and get back at you.**

 **2) I'm reading 'Son of the Western Seas' and I really like it. Thank you very much for suggesting it to me, as it's really good. Haven't finished it, but when I do, hopefully it'll be a 10/10 for me.**

 **3) Glad you liked the Excalibur scene.**

 **4) I don't care if I copy Riordan's style and fail at it. You know what I'm trying to do. In the end, the decision is up to me.**

 **5) Understandable. I get that it's strange and doesn't make sense that Markus is so knowledgeable as he was homeless. But the thing is - and this is an argument many writers use - it's fanfiction. It's not supposed to fully make sense. I understand your concern and agree with it fully. But just roll with it.**

 **6) I switch from first person to third person narrative because... well, I just do. It's a habit.**

 **7) First off, it isn't a Mary Sue SI. If you think so, fine. Whatever. I don't care. Secondly, just write something constructive instead of adding something without any explanation as to why.**

 **Now, with that out of the way, stay cool, read freely, and do random shit that you like. Might patent that. Anyways...**

 **Read and Review!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46:**

 _(Markus vs. Christopher and Abigail)_

The son of Susanoo and the daughter of Amaterasu only had a moment to recollect themselves after the initial clash. Then Markus was on them. Whenever black flames appeared, they were frozen solid. Any lightning or wind attack was either deflected or absorbed by darkness. Abigail only had a moment to blink before clashing swords with Markus, who still had red supernovas for eyes. Whenever she tried to coat her body in black flames, Markus used the darkness to absorb them.

Shocked, Abigail could do nothing but try to defend herself as Markus relentlessly attacked her. Scoffing at her pathetic counter, Markus caught her wrist. Ignoring the blistering heat her body produced, Markus snapped her wrist easily. Before she could so much as cry out, Markus yanked forward and - with great strength - ripped her arm out of her socket.

Abigail howled in pain as her fresh stump poured blood like a fountain. She grit her teeth to block out the pain, stumbling weakly. Though that wasn't the reason for her sudden fear. The reason was because Markus held up her dismembered arm to her, showing her something. The 'blood warding' seal.

With a sadistic grin, he crushed the severed arm into bloody chunks and bits, the blood and flesh sliding off of his arm. Before he could use his blood-bending abilities, he grabbed Chris' sword with his Devil Bringer. Chris was struggling to overpower Markus, not able to get his sword out of his grip.

"You are pathetic," Markus said calmly, getting him to sneer. "I don't see a powerful warrior. All I see is a whiny jealous baby who can't accept that his dad wants nothing to do with him. And I can't blame him. You're not even impressive as a fighter. Hell, the bitch did more than you did during this fight."

"Shut up," Chris whispered, loosing his cool.

"Oh? I thought that you were the calm guy who always kept his expression. Guess I was wrong."

"Shut up."

"Aw, are you going to cry, now?"

"I said shut up!" Chris' body exploded with lightning, yet it did nothing to Markus. He only grinned. He made to say something else, but saw the incoming sea of white flames. Markus noted that Chris didn't move, instead only grinning sadistically. Ignoring it, Markus just froze the flames solid, though it took him quite a bit of energy to do so.

Raising an eyebrow to Abigail - who had cauterized her wound - he saw that she trying to get some distance. Markus turned to see Chris release his sword and back away as well. He snorted. As if they were going to get away from him.

Holding both his hands to the two of them, Markus whispered, "Dark Gravity."

Darkness pulsed through the air as Abigail and Chris were dragged towards Markus. Both their respective elements surrounded the two Shinto demigods as they tried to attack Markus, but it was for naught. A wave of shadows spilled from the son of Poseidon as two giant shadowy arms formed and grabbed the two of them. Shocked, they could do nothing as Abigail's black fire and Chris' lightning were soaked into the darkness, as if hungry for the elements.

Abigail screamed as she was slowly being crushed by the arm, her ribs being cracked. Chris struggled futilely, only grunting as the same happened to him.

Markus smiled as he watched them. "Let's see which one of you pops first. My money's on the crybaby." He gestured to Chris, who glared at him. "Regardless if you're acting tough now."

Abigail screamed even louder, flinging curses at Markus. "I'll kill you! I'll fucking burn you and make sure that nothing but ashes remain!"

Markus whistled. "My, do you have a mouth on you? Though I'd thought that you'd bring more heat." Markus groaned, palming his face. "Okay, bad joke, bad joke. But still, you get what I mean."

"Will you shut up?" Chris growled, going red in the face.

"But I'm about to pop you both like a balloon," Markus whined. "The least you could do is respond to my taunts. Are they that bad? You can tell me. I'll cry and have my heart broken, but I promise I can take it."

Now both Shinto demigods were going red in the face, the sound of bones breaking being louder. Suddenly, Abigail roared, trying to make her body combust into flames. Though that didn't work as the darkness kept on eating them up.

Markus raised an eyebrow, smirking mockingly. "You know, if the first time didn't work..."

Abigail ignored him and kept heating her body up, making the surrounding air burn. The surrounding air felt like it came from the Sahara Desert. The black ice that they were melting on started to melt a little. The daughter of Amaterasu had a fiery aura around her now, the darkness trying to soak it all up. Embers of flames started flickering around her. A giant visible heatwave was started to surround her.

Markus' eyes went wide as the shadowy arm was suddenly being burnt away. Hell, he was even feeling the heat himself, which was a shock because there were practically only a few types of flames or heat that could make him feel heat.

Abigail bellowed as her body became enshrouded light, then exploding like a supernova. Markus covered his body in ice to protect himself from the heat. Chris disappeared in a burst of lightning to escape, his confinement having melted.

Everyone fighting could feel the heat and see the light show. The Shinto demigods didn't look worried, only worried about the heat. The Greeks only focused on the fight, knowing that Markus would prevail. He had to.

The light and heat felt as if a miniature sun had been summoned. This only continued on for ten seconds before it reduced rapidly, shrinking in size. The result was that half of the pier was instantly vaporized, while the other half was melting slightly, the others still fighting.

The ice that the three combatants stood on was destroyed, having been melted instantly. In fact, a large size of the water that wasn't covered in ice evaporated instantly, leaving the sea barren.

A dome of floating black ice appeared, slightly smoking but still firm. It broke a few seconds later, revealing Markus, using the winds to fly. His clothes were smoking slightly, but were still fine. He wasn't burnt, just felt a little hot. He whistled loudly, inspecting the barren space that used to be a sea. "Damn. Maybe she isn't so weak after all." Sensing the heat surrounding a certain area, he narrowed his eyes to see what was hidden. "Well, I'll be damned..."

Surrounded by a wave of boiling heat was Abigail, although it was hard to discern her form. She was practically bathed in flames. Not only that, but the black flames coalesced to form a fiery avatar. That avatar was a giant phoenix, as tall as a skyscraper. The image looked both beautiful and deadly at the same time.

Markus admitted to himself that he was in awe of the spectacle. "I'm going to assume that's the blessing of Amaterasu... or just some hax transformation. Now, where is-" Markus had to swerve to avoid a swipe from a claw made out of electricity.

Swerving to see what tried to hit him, he groaned. "Not you, too..." he said in response to seeing that a giant dragon made out of lightning tried to hit him. Correction, a dragon made out of lightning, swirling winds on the wings, and a lower body made out of water. It had glowing red eyes. The dragon was smaller than the fiery phoenix, but still looked menacing nonetheless.

Markus only raised an eyebrow. "Are you guys copying me? Because I'm the only demigod with giant elemental constructs. It's kind of my thing."

" **You're not the only one that can do this** ," Phoenix-Abigail replied, her voice carrying a sort of elegance. " **But it doesn't matter. You have no water to use, so you have no hope of defeating us**."

Markus gave a deadpanned look to Abigail. Then looked to Chris. "Please tell me that you're not as stupid as your cousin. I can't take this amount of stupidity."

Abigail growled as Chris snorted, lightning being exhaled from his nostrils. " **As much as it annoys me, she has a point. Though she could do well with not underestimating people.** "

Abigail scoffed, but said nothing.

Markus shrugged. "That's fine. Because it makes this much more fun. Επικαλούμαι: Avatar της θύελλας." A geyser of emerald energy erupted from his body. Even with the distance between the two elemental and celestial beasts, they were blown away by the eruption of power. Abigail's flames diminished slightly before regaining their intensity while Chris wavered slightly.

A wave of power washed over each and every combatant, making their skin crawl. The energy started to coalesce and form Markus' storm giant. His construct eclipsed Abigail's and Chris' constructs by a lot, towering over them and looking down upon them like they were ants.

Markus grinned on top of his storm giant, lightning crackling across the ethereal body. "What was it you said before? How I had no hope of defeating you? You're right, I don't." Markus' grin went wider. "I have absolute certainty of annihilating the two of you. And I'm going to show you why it was so foolish trying to challenge me."

No more words to say, Markus commanded his storm giant to fly forward. The phoenix and dragon only narrowly dodged. Without any warning, the storm giant grabbed the phoenix by the neck while it was in mid-flight.

" **Let me go- urgh**!" Abigail choked out, throat being crushed. Chris charged at the storm giant head-butting and launching lightning bolts from its maw at it. Scoffing, Markus commanded his summon to move and swiftly backhand him, sending the dragon flying.

Abigail heated her phoenix body up, the hand holding her neck slightly burning up. But it was futile. Grinning sadistically, Markus commanded his giant to grab the beak, cutting of her screeching. Then he blasted a storm laser directly onto her beak and down her mouth. Abigail couldn't even make a sound as her mouth was charred and destroyed.

Satisfied, Markus threw Abigail at a recovered Chris, their elemental bodies colliding and sending them careening down the empty void that used to be a sea. Ten seconds later, there was a loud BANG, signifying that the two had hit the bottom.

Markus made his avatar's hands outstretch in their direction, palms glowing. Then he unleashed laser after laser, each beam heading towards the duo in a flash. The air was heated up as Markus continued his assault. He continued this for a good couple of minutes, then ceased the barrage. The only evidence that the attack had occurred was the humongous amount of smoke produced, and the burnt air.

He waited for the two to emerge, and he wasn't disappointed. A loud roar dispersed some of the smoke as Chris sailed upwards, his dragon body diminished in both size and power. There were no visible bruises on him, but Markus could tell that he was extremely injured. He gave a roar of defiance as he flew.

Markus wordlessly summoned an ethereal bow and quiver full of arrows out of magic that was fit for his giant's size. Prepping an arrow, Markus released it, the giant projectile heading towards Chris.

Not missing a beat, Chris dodged the arrow as it sailed downwards. Markus continued firing arrows, creating a hailstorm that Chris narrowly managed to dodge. He didn't escape unscathed, though, as some of his upper body was peppered with arrows. He growled loudly, but didn't relent.

Having enough, Markus commanded his lower body to disassemble, as it was entirely composed out of water. A stupid move on Chris' part. The son of Susanoo showed surprise as his lower half quickly fell apart, only leaving his upper torso. Markus commanded the water to draw towards him and coalesced it into a sharp sword made entirely out of ice. His storm giant grabbed the sword and flew downwards.

Chris tried to dodge, but it was too late. Markus gained on him quickly and slashed horizontally. The giant ice blade sliced cleanly through his lightning body. Not satisfied, Markus then beheaded the storm dragon. The lightning was dispersed as the dragon's glowing eyes dimmed.

"Sayonara," Markus smirked, dispersing the ice sword and making his giant hold one hand out, a storm laser being unleashed. The laser connected with the severed pieces of the dragon, engulfing Chris completely, the body disintegrating.

Markus ceased the attack, seeing the ashes slowly disappear. He grinned seeing and feeling the familiar glow and heat. "And then there was one..." he muttered.

" **I'LL KILL YOU**!" Abigail screeched, flames burning brighter than ever. She flew up, practically upon him in the blink of an eye. She tackled him, sending his giant up in the air and burning it severely. She was too enraged to notice anything around her, just wanting to destroy the son of Poseidon. And he took advantage of that.

Markus commanded his giant to wrap the fiery phoenix in a bear-hug, pinning it down. Abigail, who was too furious, didn't notice anything. Markus chanted a spell that ended everything. "Kurakōri Keimusho. (Dark Ice Prison)."

Abigail the Phoenix turned from a fiery bird to a giant ice sculpture. Her heat that was at the level of absolute hot turned to absolute zero in a millisecond. Her body was stuck at a horrified and painful expression. Markus released her as she fell, breaking apart into pieces of broken ice. As soon as she hit the abyss, she was nothing but microscopic pieces of shattered glass.

Markus sighed. "That was anti-climatic."

 _(Zoe, Adria and Grover vs. Joshua, Thomas and Rose)_

Zoe was struggling against her battle with Rose. While she had been able to negate most of her flames, she didn't escape unscathed. Her silver parka had burns on them, she was sweating profusely and she had almost died many times. The only reason that she hadn't was due to the her opponent's arrogance. Something that made Zoe grudgingly admit that she herself fell prey to a lot.

The daughter of Kagutsuchi had several wounds from Zoe's arrows, but was mainly unaffected. She still had her arrogant expression, making Zoe want to hit a woman for the first time. "Is that all you can do?" Rose taunted. "Pour a little fountain and shoot some arrows? You're pathetic."

Zoe grit her teeth, but didn't say anything. She unsheathed her knives and charged at Rose. Sneering, Rose decided against using her fire and forming a spear from the flames **(A.N. - The same way Cinder forms her weapons in RWBY)**. As the Hunter got nearer, she started to attack widely. Zoe was able to counter her strikes, her experience in battle aiding her.

Scoffing, Rose started to use her pyrokinesis to cover her space with flames. Zoe - having enough - decided to go for a risky move. She dived through the flames, curling into herself to avoid most of the damage. Rose's eyes widened as she received rather large cuts on her abdomen and cheek.

Zoe's parka and skin had serious burns, but she ignored the pain in favour of attacking Rose. She moved like a gazelle, ducking and weaving with a grace that showed her skill. The daughter of Kagutsuchi was unable to defend herself, her spear useless in close combat. Snarling, she produced a blast of flames that forced Zoe to retreat.

Zoe panted, partly due to exhaustion and also due to her oxygen burning up quickly. Though she kept her gaze on Rose, who was now snarling.

"You stupid little girl!" she snarled, blood trickling down her face. "You scarred me! _You actually scarred me_!" She started to become hysterical, her scarlet eyes glowing. A wave of fire started to surround her, coating her in a sort of armour.

Zoe clicked her teeth, annoyed. She had no way of getting past the armour of flames. She was running low on oxygen. And despite having an unlimited supply of water, there was no way that she could penetrate the armour due to her poor skill in water control. Something that she was starting to regret.

 _What to do, what to do...,_ Zoe frantically thought. She was forced to halt her thoughts as she dodged a sea of hungry flames. She kept dodging and weaving, her movements graceful. She tried shooting arrows as she moved, but the armour of flames just devoured them.

"Do you see how useless and pathetic you are, you delusional bitch?!" Rose roared, the flames rising in intensity in response to her emotions. "You can't hope to defeat me! So die like the useless cur that you are!"

Growling, Zoe tried to come up with a number of different strategies, but it was useless. She couldn't get through the armour of flames, and the more she kept dodging, the more energy wasted. Pretty soon, she was going to drop, and then it was over for her. So how was she going to get past Rose's defences? An answer came to her, albeit a risky and somewhat unsuccessful one.

"Where's your confidence now, bitch?!" Rose taunted. "You can't touch me! You'll never be able to disperse my flames!"

"I don't need to," Zoe said, opening her canister and producing more water. Instead of shooting it off, Zoe commanded it to form a long and durable water spear. _Mother, please. Be with me_ , she prayed, hoping beyond hope that she would prevail. Taking her last breath of oxygen, she sent the water spear hurtling.

Before Rose could taunt her again, the water spear reached her wall of flames and started to evaporate slightly. Fortunately, it managed to pierce Rose's fire armour and leave a small opening. An insignificant one, but an opening nonetheless.

Zoe whipped her bow out and took aim. _Lady Artemis, guide my arrow to victory_ , Zoe mentally prayed. Her eyes narrowed, taking in every detail, the rapidly closing hole made from her water spear, the fiery silhouette that was Rose, the pain of her straining muscles, everything. Focused on nothing else but her target, Zoe released her arrow.

The metal on the arrow glowed silver as it sailed through the air. Towards the small opening in Rose's wall of flames. Fortunately for Zoe, her prayers were answered. The arrow managed to sink into the fire and pierce Rose's side.

Rose stared incredulously at the arrow that punctured her hip, as if she couldn't believe it. The shock from actually getting injured made her control over her flame armour to diminish in size and potency.

Taking advantage of this, Zoe dashed forward, hunting knives in her hands. She swiped at the surprised Rose, who dodged. She kept on attacking, running on fumes. She couldn't stop. Not now. She had to save Artemis, so she couldn't die here. Thankfully for her, Rose was slightly weakened from using her armour of flames, so her movements were sluggish. This allowed her to get cuts on her dress and skin.

Just as Zoe disarmed her and was about to go for the finishing blow, Zoe's body failed her. Her lack of oxygen from the heat and the burns proved too much for her, causing her to collapse, barely conscious.

Rose panted, the surprise that Zoe had dropped down evident. After a couple of seconds, however, her shock was replaced by smugness and anger. "Hehehe...," she started to chuckle. Then she threw her head back and laughed. "Hahahaha! I-Is that it?! All of that hype and you fail hilariously!" She continued to laugh deliriously. Her anger had gotten the better of her, causing her to lash out with a kick into Zoe's ribs. She grunted as Rose kept on kicking her while she was down. "You. Stupid. Arrogant. Little. BITCH!" Rose's kick hit a couple of burns on Zoe's side, causing her to cry out in pain.

Grinning sadistically, Rose continued to stomp on Zoe's wounds, making tears leak at her eyes. Nevertheless, she didn't cry out anymore or beg. "Come on, bitch!" Rose kicked her face, causing her nose to break. Another stomp on her face caused Zoe's eye to forcefully shut. The Hunter grit her teeth as more and more attacks rained down on her. "Where was all of that bravado that you had?! I want to see it! Come on! COME ON!"

As Rose was huffing, Zoe's body had numerous bruises all over her. Along with the burns that she had received. The pain being too much for her, she passed out.

Scoffing, Rose produced another spear from flickering embers on her hands. "We're not done yet," she whispered, bloodlust in her eyes. She raised her weapon to continue torturing the Hunter when she had to dodge a silver arrow headed for her.

"Get away from her!" Adria shouted, about to shoot at her again. She had to duck to avoid a stray beam of moonlight from Joshua, who had an annoyed expression on his face.

"Can you stop dodging?" he asked, annoyed.

"Then you stop being a coward and start fighting!" Adria retorted, aiming arrow after arrow at both Rose and Joshua. Rose had to roll out of the way to dodge while 'Joshua' faded away the moment the arrow touched him.

Adria ran over to inspect Zoe, who was still unconscious. Cursing, Adria had to literally drag Zoe away from the battle, though she didn't get very far. A spear sailed towards her, making her push Zoe out of the way and narrowly avoid the weapon.

"You're not making this fun," a voice said. No, not voice. Voices. Dozens of clones of Joshua circled the Hunter. Adria had her bow at the ready, except she didn't know who to aim it at. Truthfully, she didn't have much of a problem dealing with the son of Tsukuyomi. The only reason that the fight lasted as long was because of his illusions. Adria didn't know how he did it, and she didn't care. She was having no luck trying to discern which one was the real one. Each one was a perfect copy of each other. And when she was close to hitting him, he just disappeared.

Rose came forward, another spear in her hand. She glowered at a clone of Joshua. "Why are you taking my prey?" she growled out.

"Because I was bored," Joshua intoned. He did a double take at her state. "Well, well. The girl give you trouble?"

Rose snarled, not wanting to admit that fact. "Shut up!"

Adria took that moment to shoot an arrow at the Joshua that Rose was talking to. Sadly, that seemed to only be an illusion. Annoyed, Rose hurled her spear at Adria, who managed to avoid the projectile. She reached into her quiver, only to pale at the fact that she had ran out of arrows. Seeing this, both Rose and Joshua smiled.

A loud cry of pain caught all of their attention. Both Shinto demigods looked to see where the sound came from, only to smile at the sight. Adria inspected what they were looking and paled.

Thomas stood over a bloodied Grover. The boost that he had gotten from the natural energy had faded away. His fur was coated in blood. His left arm was twisted at an odd angle. But the most damaging thing was that one of his horns had been ripped off and stabbed into his eye. The satyr whimpered as Thomas grinned sadistically.

"Come on, goat bitch," he taunted, stomping down on Grover's other arm. He whimpered as Thomas laughed. "Seriously? Is that all you got? You put up a good chase, but you're so fucking weak! Like, seriously! I know dogs that could give better fights than you can! You're so pathetic!"

Grover didn't even get to whimper in response as Thomas stomped down on his other arm, causing him to cry out in pain.

"No!" Adria screamed. She made to charge at the son of Fūjin but had to jump back as a large fireball exploded in her front.

"Oh, no," Rose chuckled. "You're not going anywhere." She lit her hands on fire as Joshua glowed with moonlight. Adria grit her teeth, knowing that it was futile. At this rate, they were going to die. They were going to fail to save Artemis. The feeling of dread and hopelessness built up in her stomach, knowing that she, Grover and Zoe were going to die.

As Thomas was laughing, he stopped as he felt a presence behind him. He whirled, but it was too late. All he felt was two hands - one large and rough and the other human - grab his head, covering his face, followed by agonising pain, then nothing.

Rose, Joshua and Adria gasped as they watched Markus swiftly rip Thomas' head straight from his neck, the remains of his spine clinging to the severed part of the neck. The son of Fūjin's body fell lifelessly to the floor. The two Shinto demigods saw that the son of Poseidon looked radically different. He had black, curved horns on top of his head. His face was covered in black scales. And his eyes contained bloodlust not seen in any mortal or god. And his Devil Bringer glowed brightly. With nought but a twitch of his hands, Thomas' skull was crushed. Brain matter, blood and shattered bone trickled down his hands.

Joshua made the smart decision and tried to escape, but it was too late. In less than a heartbeat, Markus was in front of him. His Devil Bringer was punched through Joshua's chest and ribcage. Joshua only felt pain as Markus' arm twitched inside his body, bringing out a beating heart, bloodied and very much beating with life. That changed as Markus crushed it in his hands. Snarling and baring his fangs, Markus promptly bitch-slapped the demigod... and his head and upper body turned into nothing but red paste. No flesh, no bones, just bloody paste.

Rose stood frozen as Joshua's body fell in a heap. She could do nothing as Markus muttered something. Then she felt nothing and her vision turned black.

Markus merely looked at the frozen sculpture that was Rose. Snarling, he commanded the ice to shatter, with Rose inside of it. Thousands upon thousands of ice particles landed on the ground, looking like fine dust.

 _(Percy vs. Alex)_

Percy fought two battles: one with the daughter of Suijin, and the other inside of himself. His mind went into override as he fought the attempts at bloodbending while struggling to fight Alex. Speaking of which, her dull expression turned into a frustrated one throughout the fight. That was kind of good, he guessed.

He was actually getting the hang of fighting Alex's blood control. The only downside was that the two were at a stalemate again: they couldn't damage each other until one got the edge over the other. That changed quickly.

As Percy was still fighting, he stopped feeling something wrong. That something became clear when he bent over and violently puked, vomit pooling across the floor. He dropped his swords, disorientated. "Wha-" He winced as fluids started coming out of hit body: snot from his nose, tears from his eyes and other fluids from his body.

Alex's frustrated look turned into a satisfied one. "Finally. You're really annoying, you know?"

"What did-" Percy violent hacked and leaked all kinds of fluids. "-you do?"

"You're a smart boy. I'm the daughter of the god of water. Think about it."

Percy's eyes went wide. She was taking control of all the liquids in his body. She was pretty much tearing him from the inside out, if what he was feeling was accurate. He groaned, his body feeling like it was being burned by acid.

"You'll probably die a very messy death. I'm not known to be very nice when I do this kind of thing." Alex walked forward and bent down, patting his head like a dog. "Just don't get any of it over me, 'kay?"

Tears leaked down his cheeks as he stared at Alex due to her control. He couldn't move. He couldn't even scream. He was going to die painfully. The thing that hit him the hardest - well, apart from his own death - was that he would die against someone that he should've beaten. And yet he was outclassed greatly. He had been throughout this entire fight.

"And now here comes the fun part..." Alex muttered, a curious look in her eyes.

Percy screamed, spewing up liquid after liquid. His stomach was probably burning at this point, literally. He remembered bits and pieces of biology from school through his pain. And he knew that if all the liquids in his body were to be free, he'd die a very painful death. No, he couldn't accept it. He couldn't! And yet he was powerless to stop it. _Mum, Dad, Markus, Grover, Thalia... Annabeth. I'm sorry._

And in that split moment, he didn't want to die. No matter how unfair this battle was, he just wanted to live. He wished it with all of his heart. He... He wanted to live!

At that moment, something broke inside of Percy. It felt like a glass ball had shattered. Along with Percy's restraint. He unconsciously pulled on the tug in his gut that he called upon. And with that, several things happened.

One: the pain from Percy's tugging caused him to pass out along with the feeling of all of the liquids inside of his body being messed with. Two: Alex was so focused on Percy's internal liquids that she didn't notice anything about her own. Three: all of _her_ fluids inside of her body - the hydrochloric acid, saliva, bile, cerebrospinal fluid, etc. - all violently popped out of where they were held. The result...

A shocked Alex suddenly combusting in a disgusting and messy shower of fluids, blood, bile and acid. Percy wasn't able to witness this, however, as he was blissfully unconscious.

 _(Thalia vs. Lucas)_

Thalia had to continuously dodge each swipe of Lucas' knives, each strike more deadlier than the last. She was able to recover from having her nerves scrambled, if only slightly. She managed to solve this by discharging her own lightning throughout her body to counter Lucas' own. It was hard, but she managed. Though she was kept on her toes as she dodged each strike and countered with her own. She was really thankful that she wore the Nemean lion pelt, otherwise she'd receive much more damage.

"You know that you can't win," Lucas drawled, not even winded. Scowling, Thalia decided to go for a different approach. Her body was coated in lightning, crackling with power. Using this, she dashed forward, meeting his attacks with her own and stopping him from turning into lightning. She figured that he actually needed to be solid to hit her. His lightning trick didn't work on her anymore, and lightning itself didn't do anything to her. So she could use that.

Lucas scowled as Thalia kept on attacking him. He was actually being pushed in combat, something that hadn't happened in a long time. "You're good," Lucas grudgingly admitted, pushing away her spear and going for an overhead strike. Thalia ducked, using her shield to swipe him off his feet. He jumped, high enough to stomp down on her shield that she raised in time and jump away. "But not good enough."

Thalia scrunched up her face in concentration, trying to do something that she'd seen Markus do. Her hand crackling with lightning, she threw it in the direction of Lucas. Though instead of a bolt of lightning, two small hounds created from lightning sped towards the son of Raijin. These were much smaller than what Markus had produced, and much more weaker, but that wasn't what Thalia wanted.

The hounds dashed forward, darting towards Lucas, who stood still. He had a disappointed look on his face, knowing that the lightning could do nothing against him. Just as he was about to absorb them, they both exploded in a large and flashy shower of sparks. Again, Lucas was not impressed at all, and was about to voice his thoughts when he was stabbed from behind by a spear tipped in wind. At first, he wasn't worried, his body automatically turning into lightning to avoid the damage. But then he felt the pain, small as it was.

Lucas looked down, seeing his lightning body regenerate the wound, making it slowly close. Though when it finished closing, a small wound was there, slowly dripping blood.

Thalia was just as shocked as Lucas was, surprise on both of their faces. Lucas winced. The pain wasn't much, but the actual sensation of pain was alien to him. For a long time, he'd never been able to be injured. But now... "What did you do?" he whispered, stumped.

Before Thalia could respond and say that she didn't know, the son of Raijin exploded. Literally. "What did you do?!" he bellowed, lightning exploding from his body and swarming Thalia, who was too shocked from before to properly dodge. While she wasn't harmed from the blast, her nerves were another matter. Her body simply shut down, spasm after spasm hitting her. She dropped her weapons, her body not responding in time. She tried to overcome this, but she was interrupted by Lucas suddenly appearing and kicking her like a football, launching her backwards.

Again, she was extremely thankful for the Nemean lion pelt, otherwise she was sure that her back would've broken from the impact. As she was coming to her senses, she screamed as Lucas' knives embedded themselves into the palm of her hands, sinking into the ground. The pain scrambled her thoughts, not allowing her to come up with a good plan of escape. Her body was in spread like a starfish, her hands above her bleeding.

Lucas walked forward, anger replacing his calm expression. "That," he said slowly, breathing in and out slowly, "was a shock. I don't know how you managed to injure me. And I'm pretty sure that I don't want to find out how." With that, Lucas stomped on her left thigh.

Thalia grit her teeth, the wind picking up slightly. "Let me go."

Lucas scoffed. "Make me." He then stomped on her stomach a couple of times, making her cough harshly.

Thalia snarled, the air becoming heavy and powerful. "I said let me GO!" The vibrations in the airwaves between herself and Lucas, amplifying her voice with a loud sonic blast. Surprised, Lucas was launched backwards like Thalia was previously.

Panting harshly, she decided to ignore how she did that and instead concentrated on trying to escape her impalement. She wracked her brains, thinking on how she was going to get out. Eventually, an idea came to her, but she didn't like it. Gritting her teeth, she pulled her arms from the knives in her flesh. Tears prickling her eyes, she ignored the pain and pulled with all her strength. She heard the tearing of flesh, but she ignored it, feeling the knives dislodging themselves from the ground. Finally, her hands were free, long and deep wounds that showed the holes in her palms.

Rejecting the incoming tears and the small wave of nausea, Thalia inspected Lucas, who was sitting up slowly. His clothes were torn, showcasing his bleeding torso. His calm expression went away completely, and an angry light shone in his eyes. "You little bitch..." he whispered, furious.

By now, Thalia was able to figure out that wind was the solution to actually injuring him, not lightning. Gritting her teeth harshly to not think about the stinging pain, she knew that she had to do something unexpected. She had to get the higher ground. Meaning that she had to fly.

While her fear of heights appeared at the thought, she knew that if she didn't, she'd probably die. Thoughts of dying here, of not seeing Annabeth, Grover, Percy and Markus due to her weakness filled her head. And suddenly, her fear was replaced by anger. Anger at herself.

With the wind whipping around her, she took a steady breath and rose quickly into the air, actually flying for the very first time. Her fear ate at her as she was flying so quickly for the first time, but she ruthlessly suppressed her fear in favour of examining her opponent.

Thalia could see Lucas frowning in annoyance, launching lightning after lightning at her. Knowing better than to just take it, she dodged the lightning, her movements quick and graceful in the air. If she weren't so focused on the fight, she'd actually take the time to appreciate that she was flying for the first time. And that she'd actually enjoyed it.

Her next actions came easily to her. Yelling loudly, she summoned a large tornado, sending it to engulf the son of Raijin. Knowing that using his lightning body would do no good, he tried to disappear in lightning. But as the tornado got closer, he found that his lightning was fizzing it slowly. He growled. Why was his lightning body not working? In fact, why couldn't he teleport? His questions didn't get to be answered as he was engulfed by the large tornado. Unlike the last time, he actively tried to fight against the swirling and biting winds.

Eyes sparking, he roared, unleashing an explosion of electricity that _blew_ back the tornado surrounding him. Though he was successful in blowing away the tornado, he was not unscathed. His body was covered with cuts and wounds, his blood seeping into his clothes and pooling on the floor.

Lucas growled, having enough of this. He was going to kill this girl, then he was going to behead her and take her head a trophy. And then, oh, and then-

His thoughts were halted as Thalia's spear suddenly shot through his neck, the tip covered in his blood. Eyes wide, Lucas could do nothing but stare at the bloody tip of the spear that was impaled through his neck. He tried to turn his neck, but found that he couldn't. He coughed up a large amount of blood - the liquid dribbling down his chin - as he _knew_ that the girl was the one to pierce his throat.

And he was right. Thalia panted as she held her spear, the pain from her palms screaming at her. Her body was high on adrenaline as she kept the spear in Lucas' throat, pushing it forward sharply.

Lucas threw up a waterfall of blood as his eyes lost focus, his life ebbing away rapidly. The only thought that was in his head was that he couldn't believe that he would die so easily and carelessly. But he couldn't complain, or do anything, really. As that thought finished, his body tilted, his neck sliding off the spear with ease as he fell face-first in his own puddle of blood, the liquid of life soaking his dead body.

Thalia's body felt numb as she dropped her spear, eyes wide. She ignored the pain in her hands in favour of inspecting her damage. She killed somebody. She actually _killed somebody_. This wasn't just another monster that faded into golden dust. No, this was an actual human being, demigod, whatever. And she killed him. Sure, he was going to kill her, and she was in the right to defend herself. But...

She shook as the thought haunted her. She was a murderer. She-She killed someone. A living breathing person. Oh, gods... she wasn't sure if she could face camp like this. Heroes weren't meant to kill mortals. She didn't know if demigods applied to this rules, especially if that demigod was of another pantheon.

Just as the panic was getting to her, Thalia felt someone embrace her. She was about to hit the person who touched her, when a familiar voice - tinted by anger but also love - spoke. " **Thalia**..."

 _(End of Fights)_

Thalia turned, seeing Markus in his demonic form again. She didn't know why he was in that form again, and she didn't care. She held onto him as she shook slightly, tears at the corners of her eyes. Markus wrapped his Devil Bringer and now scaled arm around her, making her flinch slightly. But he didn't care. Tilting her head upwards with his scaled arm, Markus leaned down and kissed her passionately. Thalia responded in kind, wanting the comfort.

The two stayed like that, wrapped in each other's embrace. Thalia didn't let go of Markus, a whirlwind of fear and panic inside of her. Though that slowly faded away as she kissed him.

The two separated for a moment. Markus was about to say something when he saw the blood on her hands, and the wounds. Taking her hands in his, he inspected the wounds, seeing Thalia wince. Markus kissed her slightly to make her feel better, then looked at the wounds. Holding his hands over hers, Markus muttered a healing spell that made his palms glow a red colour. After a few seconds, Markus removed his hands, showing Thalia's now healed hands. All that was left were only small scars on her palms.

Done with healing her, Markus' red eyes looked to her fearful electric blue ones. " **You aren't a murderer** ," Markus said simply, leaning down to place his forehead on hers. " **You only killed in self-defense. That makes you a fighter, not a killer. There's nothing wrong with what you did. The guy was hardly innocent anyway. He was going to kill you. You just returned the favour. Don't ever think of yourself as a murderer again, do you understand me**?"

Thalia nodded, smiling lightly. "Thanks."

Markus smirked, fangs bared. " **No problem.** "

"Um, can you change back? I liked it when you weren't all scaled and horny."

Markus laughed at that, his demonic features disappearing. Pretty soon, he was his normal, handsome self. Markus held her close. "Come on. We have to tend to the others."

Now Thalia had a worried look on her face. "What happened?"

Markus grimaced, which wasn't a good sign. "You'll see."

Markus guided her to the others. Markus' speed clones were tending to the questers. Zoe and Percy were awake, Percy drinking water - a lot of it - and wasn't going to stop. Zoe was being tended to, ice covering parts of her body. It was a crude way to take care of the burns, but it was effective.

The worse was Grover. Thalia almost cried at the state he was in. He was unconscious, blood dripping from his eye, blood matting his fur, one of his horns broken off crudely, and cuts all over his body. It was a miracle that he was actually alive. She knelt down at his side, trying to comfort him, but the satyr whimpered, even while unconscious. "Grover..." she said sadly. She remembered Grover leading her, Annabeth and Luke to Camp Half-Blood. Even though she almost died and was turned into a tree, she was still very fond of the satyr.

Everyone looked at him in sadness. Markus grit his teeth. If only he'd been faster... if only he hadn't toyed with his opponents, then maybe the others would've been alright. Maybe Grover would be alright. Maybe the others wouldn't have to face opponents that were out of their league. It was a miracle that they were all alive. A thought came to Markus. Was Nereus right? Were all of the non-Greek interventions on the quest his fault? The demons, Samael, the Shinto demigods... were they all due to his actions? Even the Heracles incident was his fault, due to Markus' actions. If he hadn't dabbled with other pantheons, would the others be alright?

A hand was placed on his shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. He looked to see Thalia giving him a firm look. "It wasn't your fault," she said knowingly.

Markus frowned. "But-"

"No buts. I know what you're thinking, and I'm telling you that it's not your fault Grover's like this. You didn't and couldn't know that the demigods would attack us. You had no idea. So you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. And as for being a champion of a god not in our pantheon, something that you didn't tell me-" Thalia frowned "-I'm just going to say it was one of your idiot plans. Even so, we don't blame you."

"She's right," Percy agreed, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat, then spoke again. "We don't blame you for any of this. If anything, it's their own fault for picking a fight. We sure showed them, though." Here, his voice turned hollow, betraying his words.

Frowning, Markus walked up to his brother. "You alright?" he asked, bending down and placing a hand on his shoulder. He'd seen the remains of Alex. It wasn't pretty. He was impressed at Percy's finishing act, but was worried of the effect it had on him.

Percy nodded listlessly. "Yeah." His voice was small and weak.

Markus gave him a one-armed hug, then brought something out of a small portal that he created. A small vial containing a emerald green liquid. "Drink this."

Percy stared at the thing cautiously. "And that is?"

"A calming potion. It'll relieve you of your stress quickly, and put your mind at ease."

"So, like medication?" Percy compared, taking the vial from his brother and inspecting it.

"Pretty much, but quicker, and more reassuring."

"Not really eager to trust anything magic."

"Is this about the guinea pig incident?"

Percy turned red as Thalia laughed, having a knowing look. "No," he quickly denied. He sighed, before removing the cap and downing the potion in one go. He blinked a couple of times, shivering a little. "Woah. What a rush."

"Does it work?" Markus asked, a grin on his face.

Percy didn't say anything for a moment, searching for his guilt and earlier panic. "Yeah. I still feel it, but it's... reduced, I guess. Thanks."

Thalia frowned. "Why didn't you give that to me?"

Markus turned to her, a smile on his face. "Because my method worked just as well. And as much as I love Percy, I'm not kissing him."

Percy snorted as Thalia smiled a little.

"Joking aside," Adria interrupted, trying to get back on track, "we need to focus. We need to get to Mt. Othrys and rescue Lady Artemis."

"I agree," Zoe said, trying to stand up.

Markus snorted. "And where do you think you're going? You're not healed yet."

Zoe glared at him. "I don't care. Lady Artemis is trapped while holding the sky. As her lieutenant, it is my duty."

"Even at the cost of your own safety?" Markus enquired.

Zoe scoffed. "Of course. Would thee not rescue thine brother or Thalia herself at the cost of thine life?" At his silence, she continued. "Lady Artemis is my friend, the one that I trust completely. She is not only my superior, but someone I would die for. Besides," Zoe gained a sad look ,"my life will be short anyways."

The others were confused as to what she meant, except Adria and Markus. The son of Poseidon frowned. "Because of the prophecy?"

Zoe nodded sadly, although she had a determined glint in her eyes.

"Woah, woah. Back up. What about the prophecy?" Percy asked, out of the loop.

"' _And one shall perish by a parent's hand,'_ " Thalia muttered, looking at Zoe incredulously. "It's you, isn't it? Atlas is your father?"

Zoe's shoulders' slumped, a slightly shameful look on her face. "Yes."

Percy and Thalia looked shocked, while Adria and Markus already knew. Adria comforted Zoe slightly. "Look, that's not important," Markus said firmly. "Zoe, if you want to go, that's fine. But you're not going to die."

"And how do you know that?" Adria asked, an angry look on her face as she glared at him.

"Because, if I recall correctly, you were supposed to die at Hephaestus' Junkyard, and yet here you are." Adria's surprised look was enough for him. He turned to look at Zoe. "Adria was supposed to die, and yet she didn't. The same thing can happen to you, Zoe. You're not going to die. I won't let you."

Zoe frowned. "And why do thou care about whether I die or not? Thou has made it very clear that thou hate me and the other Hunters. So why?"

Markus paused, trying to formulate an answer. She's right. Why did he care whether Zoe died. Before, he'd be joyous at the fact. Take a victory lap and celebrate. But now... "I don't know," he finally answered. "Maybe it's because I hate prophecies. Maybe it's to give the middle finger to the Fates. Or maybe it's because you've grown on me. Like a rash. A very irritating, annoying, almost cancerous rash that you initially hate, and still hate till this day and you somehow bond with it in some odd way-"

"We get it," Percy said, mirth in his eyes. Thalia also smiled as well.

Markus sighed. "My point is, while it may say it in the prophecy, I don't care. You're not dying, and that's final."

"Why?" Zoe asked, curious.

"Because I said so," Markus nodded with absolute seriousness.

Zoe looked at him, and did something unexpected. She laughed. She threw her head back and laughed loudly. Markus raised an eyebrow as the others were stunned at the Hunter. Zoe never laughed. At all. In fact, Adria had never heard her laugh that loudly at all, and she's been with her for a long time.

Zoe continued laughing, clutching her stomach. Markus would've found the sound beautiful if she wasn't laughing at him. The daughter of Atlas ceased her laughing, wiping some tears from her eyes. "Thou... are the most arrogant, stubborn, pig-headed, foolish and annoying male that I have met in a long, long time. Yet, why do I believe in thine words?"

"Okay, a) because I damn well mean what I say. And b) you are the most stubborn, arrogant, bitchiest and stupidest person I have met, bar gods and monsters. And yet, I'm suddenly concerned for you. Life works in weird ways."

Zoe stepped forward, looking directly at him, tilting her head up to look at him. Usually, if she got into a male's personal space, it was usually to gut him. This was different. "So I have thine word that thou will not let me die this day?"

Markus stared her down, wondering why he was so concerned for her. And why did it feel like she was testing him for something? "You have my word."

Zoe smirked. "Good. Maybe you aren't such a disgusting male after all."

"And maybe Kronos has risen already if I'm wanting to actually save you. Don't make me regret doing this."

"Can you save your flirting for later?" Thalia asked, making the two back away with disgust.

"Honestly, Zoe. I thought you were a faithful Hunter. And yet I see you flirting with some boy," Adria scolded, but the others could tell that she was teasing.

Zoe growled and Markus scowled. "No way," they both said at the same time. Then glared at each other for repeating what they just said. Before they could argue, a speed clone appeared out of existence and gently grabbed Grover, taking care of his injuries. Then - carefully - he ran off.

"Where'd you send him to?" Thalia asked.

"Camp. He needs to recover, and he's in no shape to continue this quest. Now, we all good?"

They all nodded.

"Okay. Zoe, where's the Garden of the Hesperides?"

Zoe frowned, but answered anyway. "Off west. Why?"

"Because we're travelling my way," Markus answered.

Percy frowned, standing up. "I thought that you said that it'd be risky to teleport to places that you haven't been to before?"

"True, but we're close, so I shouldn't screw up too badly. Plus, it's quicker. So everybody link hands. We're vapour-travelling."

All of them linked hands, the Hunters holding hands and Adria holding Thalia's hand. Who held hands with Percy and Markus. Concentrating, Markus made all of them disperse into vapour, travelling to the west. The large body of vapour passed through the Golden Gate Bridge, past forests, hills and steep ravines. Until finally the vapour gathered at an empty road that had Mist - both the magical substance and the natural kind - strongly present.

Markus commanded the vapour to coalesce and gather to form the bodies of himself and the others. It took a while, but the group managed to appear from the vapour in one piece. Immediately, the others began checking their bodies to see if they were in one piece. Markus glared at them. "Stupid, faithless..." Markus grumbled.

All of them inspected the area that they were in. Sheets of fog drifted across the road. The sun was setting slightly in the distance, casting a yellow/orange glow on the landscape.

"Well?" Markus said towards Zoe. "Lead the way."

However, before she could do anything, a powerful light shone across the area. This was different from the light from the sun. This felt like the glow from a bonfire. An extremely hot bonfire. The group looked to see that the glow was coming from ripples in the air. These ripples parted slightly, creating holes that hid a powerful fire inside. Markus sensed a familiar presence from the ripples. He sighed. "I'm not in the mood for this shit."

The others got their weapons out as more ripples occurred, creating an opening in the air that looked like a gate. Suddenly, the opening exploded with powerful flames as something burst out in a large and fiery display. It landed on the ground in front of them, melting the concrete and heating up their surroundings to absurd levels. Adria and Thalia started sweating instantly, their skin turning red from the heat. Zoe, Percy and Markus felt the heat and broke out into a slight sweat, which was surprising.

The creature - Markus knew that it was a demon - looked like a cross between a lion and a centaur. It had the lower body of a large bull, the legs and feet of a lizard or dragon, the upper body of a human, and a feline-like face, topped with vicious horns. His body is black, like cooled lava, with large, wing-like jets of flame sprouting from his humanoid shoulders and more flames cascading off his long tail. In his hand was an eight foot long spear that was tipped with orange and black flames. **(A.N. - Basically DMC 4 Berial's appearance but with a spear)**.

"Anyone know who _this_ is?" Percy asked exasperatedly.

Markus sighed. "A fucking demon."

"Markus. You know when I said that it wasn't your fault that we're facing non-Greek beings?" Thalia said.

"Yeah."

"Feel like retracting that statement."

"Don't blame you."

The demon roared, a shockwave being produced. Its fire burned the entire floor, turning it into molten sludge. Even the air was being burned by his mere presence. Flames sprouted from his form and sprayed everywhere. Markus created an ice barrier to shield the others from the intense heat.

" **Ahh, the human world,** " the pyrokinetic demon rumbled, swiveling its head to inspect its surroundings. " **It's been a while... hmm**?" The demon turned to look at Markus and the others. It - possibly a he - grinned. " **Oh? So you must be the demigods that the Titans told us about?** "

"Who are you?!" Zoe questioned, bow raised.

The demon cackled loudly. " **Who am I? I am Infernus, a Duke of Hell and the King of the Fire Pits. And you...** " Waving his hand, fire pooled from his fingertips and made flames suddenly combust out of the air. From the flames, dozens of smaller demons jumped out, each looking similar to Infernus. They had the same black, crispy body that looked like lava, but looked less menacing. " **... are trespassing. On my word as a Duke of Hell and a King, I must destroy you. Tremble in terror before my-** "

Infernus was interrupted by purple lines appearing from him and his demons. They glowed brightly as the demons were mystified as to what had happened. Instantly, they all burst into showers of flames, disintegrating. Infernus himself screamed as he exploded in a shower of bright, orange flames. All that was left of him was one of his horns.

Having an idea as to what had happened, the group turned to Markus, who had already sheathed Yamato. "Nope. Not dealing with this," he said simply. He walked forward to where Infernus' horn was, putting it into his backpack. "I just want this quest to finish. I'm already annoyed."

"... Agreed," Zoe nodded, none of them surprised at his speed at which he'd killed the demons. They've learned to hide it for a while. Zoe turned towards one of the sheets of fog. She stepped into one of them, and when the fog passed, she was no longer there. The others looked at each other.

"Concentrate on Zoe," Thalia advised. "We are following her. Go straight into the fog and keep that in mind." She stepped into the Mist, the others following her.

When the fog cleared, They was still on the side of the mountain, but the road was dirt. The grass was thicker. The sunset made a blood red slash across the sea. The summit of the mountain seemed closer now, swirling with storm clouds and raw power. There was only one path to the top, directly in front of them. And it led through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers: the garden of twilight, just like Markus and Percy had seen in their dream.

If it hadn't been for the enormous dragon, the garden would've been the most beautiful place any of them had ever seen. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were such brilliant colors they almost glowed in the dark. Stepping stones of polished black marble led around either side of a five-story-tall apple tree, every bough glittering with golden apples, and they weren't _yellow_ golden apples like in the grocery store. They were _real_ golden apples _._

"The apples of immortality," Thalia said. "Hera's wedding gift from Zeus."

Markus hummed. "I might want one. They look good."

The others looked at him incredulously. "You do know that if you do that, Hera will be pissed at you, right?" Thalia said slowly, as if to make sure that he'd heard her.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "What's your point?"

"... Fair enough," Thalia sighed.

The others could see Ladon, who looked pretty scary. It was not like how people usually picture a dragon. Markus thought that Samael was much more terrifying. The serpent's body was as thick as a booster rocket, glinting with coppery scales. He had more heads than they could count, as if a hundred deadly pythons had been fused together. He appeared to be asleep. The heads lay curled in a big spaghetti-like mound on the grass, all the eyes closed.

Then the shadows in front of them began to move. There was a beautiful, eerie singing, like voices from the bottom of a well. Percy reached for Riptide, but Zoe stopped his hand.

Four figures shimmered into existence, four young women who looked very much like Zoe. They all wore white Greek chitons. Their skin was like caramel. Silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders. These were Zoe's sisters, the Hesperides. They looked just like Zoe - gorgeous, and probably very dangerous.

"Sisters," Zoe said.

"We do not see any sister," one of the girls said coldly. "We see three half-bloods and two Hunters. All of whom shall soon die."

Markus breathed through his nose, getting annoyed. "Listen, I'm only going to say this once. Get. Out. Of. Our. Way. Now."

The girls' glassy and volcanic eyes turned to him. "Markus Henderson," one of the girls said. "Yes, we were warned about you."

"Good. So you know what'll happen if you don't get out of our way."

"We must approach the mountain." Zoe stated.

"You know he will kill thee," the girl said. "You are no match for him."

"Artemis must be freed," Zoe insisted. "Let us pass."

The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake."

"He will not hurt me," Zoe said.

"No? And what about thy so-called friends?"

At that, a bullet swerved past one of their cheeks, grazing it. Eyes wide, the girls all looked to Markus, who had his gun out and an annoyed expression on his face. "Move. **Now.** "

At the sound of the gunshot, the dragon stirred, glittering like a mountain of pennies. The Hesperides yelped and scattered. The lead girl said to Markus. "Are you mad?! Now you will die!"

Scoffing, Markus clicked his fingers, opening a blue swirling portal underneath Ladon's body, which was his size. With a yelp from a hundred heads, Ladon the dragon fell through the portal, which closed instantly.

Eyes wide, the Hesperides and the others looked at where Ladon used to be. Meanwhile, Markus walked towards the apple tree and rose from the ground slightly, using the winds to fly. He plucked all of the golden apples from the tree, inspecting one.

"Hmm," he hummed, before putting them in his personal pocket dimension. "Not yet. I at least want to grow a bit more before I eat one..." He walked back to the others. "Let's go."

The questers quickly shook off their surprise as the Hesperides continued to look confused. The five of them made it out of the meadow and headed up the rocky trail leading up to the peak of the mountain. The storm continued to rage, spinning on the summit like it was the axis for the whole world.

"What happened to Ladon?" Zoe asked as they walked.

"I'm keeping him in suspended animation. He's essentially frozen in one of my pocket dimension until I bring him out," Markus answered.

"But why didn't you just kill it?" Percy asked as Zoe had a painful look at that question.

Markus grinned. "Because I want to keep it as a pet." At their stunned looks, he looked curiously at them. "What?"

"You... you want to keep Ladon... as a pet?" Thalia asked, straining to understand the being that was her boyfriend.

"Yes," Markus answered slowly.

"Why?" Zoe asked.

"Because he's a fucking dragon. Seriously, who wouldn't want a dragon as a pet? Plus, I can sic him on any monsters that attack camp. And Peleus can have a new best friend!"

Percy and Thalia facepalmed while the Hunters looked confused, but ultimately didn't say anything. Markus scoffed. They just didn't see the pure awesomeness of owning a pet dragon. His mind went to all of the badass stuff he can teach Ladon to do once tamed.

So with that thought in mind, they ran up the mountain in complete silence. Zoe's sisters were still not even singing. Still, that was good in Percy's point of view. After meeting them, he felt that the song would be more for a funeral.

At the top of mountain were ruins, blocks of black granite and marble as big as houses. Broken columns. Statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted.

"The ruins of Mount Othrys," Thalia whispered in awe.

"Yes," Zoe said. "It was not here before. This is bad."

A few yards ahead of them, gray clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains. This is what Markus had seen in his dream.

"My lady!" Zoe rushed forward, Adria hot on her heels. But Artemis said, "Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now."

Loud laughing cut off any more conversation. The group of demigods turned as one. The General was standing there in his brown silk suit. At his side were the one-eyed demigod Markus had seen in his dream and half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos.

The General, Atlas, chuckled. "Zoe. It's been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing yo-"

Before he could continue, Atlas was decked in the jaw and sent skidding away, his feet dredging up clouds of dust. He wiped a trail of golden blood away from his jaw with a smile. He was hardly fazed.

Markus had his arm outstretched, clenching his fist in the place that Atlas was previously. The dracaenae and demigod were surprised and tried to scramble back.

"Ah, Markus Henderson. So we meet again," Atlas greeted with a smile.

Markus clenched his fist again and looked at it, feeling it sting. "Huh. I actually felt that." He looked up at Atlas. "Just hurry up and use whatever power-up Jashin gave you. It'll be more funnier _when_ I beat you."

Atlas stared at the boy. "Aren't you impatient? Alright. If you want to die so badly, be my guest."

The Titan held up a red ge, the size of a phone, and he promptly jammed it into his chest. He gave a roar of power, a shockwave being produced from the release of a tremendous aura. Some high winds kicked up, blowing the hairs of everyone and pushing all of them back slightly. Artemis groaned as she struggled to contain the sky. Cracks started to form in the ground, with a sudden burst of light rising up and lighting up the sky. A sense of small sense of dread that settled in the guts of everyone watching.

The red energy around Atlas faded, revealing his new self. The Titan was probably eight feet tall and packed tighter with more muscle than what should have been allowed. His skin was bleached white, and from the glowing red rock in his chest, a smattering of red veins shot out and covered his entire body, makinhim pulsate with energy. Atlas opened his eyes, revealing that his irises were now red and his sclera black.

Markus whistled, inspecting the new form. "Not bad. I'm actually going to have to sweat. Quick question, when Jashin gave you a power-up, did he expect the way a typical battle goes? You get a power-up, overwhelm me, then I get a power-up and-"

Atlas moved with such incredible speed that Markus' demigod reflexes failed him, having been surprised. He took a right cross that sent him bouncing across the mountain before slamming into a pillar that toppled on top of him. Markus lifted the rubble off of him, having applied Hierro in time. Still, there was a bruise on his left cheek.

Markus spat out blood while still looking at him. "And then I overwhelm you, right?" he finished. "Well, let's play it a little differently, shall we?"

Cracking his neck, Markus' body exploded in a crimson light, his eyes red. His Rage of Sparta activated, Markus grinned.

"Let's dance, Titan of Endurance."

 **And... finished. This was a lot longer than expected.**

 **Sooo, to recap: Greeks won against the Shintos (only barely, though) and have arrived at Mount Othrys. The demon fight was kept short because Markus didn't want to waste any time. Same thing with Ladon, only Markus wanted him as a pet. Because why not? Dragons are awesome. He didn't eat an apple of immortality because he wanted his physical body to grow so that it'll reach its prime, so he can then eat it. You can guess why he took the rest of the apples.**

 **Next chapter will be the fight with Atlas, and then the Olympian council meeting (which will be fun to write. Really fun).**

 **Oh, side note: just wanted to list the powers of the Shinto demigods, so people will know either why they lost or how powerful they are.**

 **Abigail: high-level pyrokinesis using divine black flames and white flames. Black flames burn for seven days and nights unless countered, and can't be extinguished by normal means. The white flames burn only those the casters seeks to kill or those pure of heart. Abigail's trump card is the blessing of Amaterasu, in which she transforms into a giant phoenix avatar. The heat from her flames reach absolute hot in this form. Her skills in using weapons are mediocre, since she mainly uses her fire.**

 **Christopher: high-level electrokinesis, aerokinesis and hydrokinesis. He can't go beyond the normal type of electricity, though his skills surpass children of Zeus and Poseidon. Well, except Markus because he's much more stronger. Like Abigail, Chris' trump card is the blessing of Susanoo (different from what Markus has as a champion of Susanoo), which allows him to transform into a giant dragon. The dragon has an upper body made of lightning, a lower body made of water, and wings made of wind. His skills in using weapons is better than Abigail and the other Shinto demigods.**

 **Joshua: can control moonlight the same way Artemis can, but slightly limited. He much prefers using illusions to trick his enemies by using light. These illusions trick the target into seeing something that's not there. His illusions can be countered by sensors, gods and stronger beings than him. His physical attributes are terrible, hence he sticks with his illusions.**

 **Rose: high-level pyrokinesis that is weaker than Abigail's. She can use her fire in any shape and form, and can even form weapons from her flames, making any kind of shape that she wants. She can also create armour from her flames to shield her like a normal suit of armour. Her physical attributes are quite strong, though she mainly uses her flames.**

 **Alex: high-level hydrokinesis that surpasses Percy's and is just under Markus. She can turn her body into water like Markus can, and can even manipulate internal liquids inside a person's body, e.g. blood, sweat, tears, gastric fluids, etc. Her physical attributes are somewhat strong and are just below Rose's.**

 **Thomas: high-level aerokinesis that surpass any child of Zeus. While not a lot of his skills were displayed, he can do a number of things: turn his body into wind, create blades and cocoons of wind, and can also suck the oxygen from his target's lungs or expand the oxygen inside one's body and cause them to explode. His physical attributes match Rose's but are below that of Chris.**

 **Lucas: high-level electrokinesis that surpass Chris' and any child of Zeus. He can turn his body into lightning, create explosions of lightning from his body, and can shoot bolts of lightning. His lightning body can be countered by high amounts of wind. This is because** **most negative lightning strikes (the most common kind) consist of multiple discharges in very rapid succession. Since hot/ionized air is a much better electrical conductor than cool air, each subsequent strike will tend to follow a similar path as the one that preceded it. Essentially, cold wind (which is what Thalia mainly uses and has given no indication of using warm or hot air) is a very poor conductor for electricity. So Lucas' body can be countered because his body (which is a large conductor basically) can't produce enough lightning to counter large amounts of cold wind.**

 **Now... review answers.**

 **1) To Apollyon: (not sure if I replied to you) thanks very much for the suggestion on Thalia's powers. I really like it, and am glad you gave me useful bits to hopefully write down in the future. Thanks.**

 **2) To Power Suggestor, I love the ideas. The main reason that Markus doesn't use that many branches of magic is because he can easily destroy his enemies with his physical prowess, power-ups or divine powers. But I'm really grateful for the ideas. The armour is something he'll get later on in the story, so don't worry. And the blood warding does ward off just blood, but the reason Markus didn't take control of any other liquids is because I wanted to have the others to fight. Simple as.**

 **3) I understand that Markus' could've easily killed all of them, but I wanted to give the others a chance to fight. It doesn't make sense, true, but that's what it is.**

 **4) Thanks for the idea, Power Suggestor.**

 **5) I'm not going to complain or rant at your stupid point. So what if I copy and paste from the original books? Frankly, I'd be surprised if I didn't. And as for my grammar mistakes, fair enough. That's true. But other than that, I'm not going to bother with you. Just... no.**

 **6) Yes, I do.**

 **7) I prefer if I write him as a dick. As long as he's not too dickish, I'd like that over him being nice at any unexpected and unneeded moments. And both their views will change as time goes by, don't worry.**

 **So... since I'm very tired, I'll just say this: thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story and my other ones as well. Read and Review. And, uh... yeah, that's it. Bye!**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47:**

 ***Play: Indestructible by Disturbed ***

Both combatants were at the centre at speeds that would've baffled Hermes himself. Before Markus was punched by Atlas, the demigods on both sides - along with the monsters - knew that trouble was going down. So, they all went towards a far enough distance from the fight. It still didn't save them from the shockwave of the two punching their fists together.

The ground splintered, the columns groaned, the air shattered and Artemis braced herself, the force vibrating her body and making her struggle to hold up the sky.

Neither Markus nor Atlas relented in their strikes. Both of them were fighting with intellect rather than brawn. For Markus, this wasn't like his fight with Heracles, where he could physically overpower him and be sure of victory. No, that wouldn't work here. Atlas was physically powerful, true. And Markus could overpower him easily, even as he was now. But that wouldn't do that. Atlas was considered the general of the Titan army for a reason. He had been battling for aeons, strategies built inside his mind before he could even speak properly. So no, brute strength wasn't the answer. What it boiled down to was strategy and skill.

Markus' eyes boiled crimson as he kept on dodging, punching, kicking and moving. His body and mind got no rest as the both worked overtime. Atlas gave him a punch that made him stagger, followed by another punch to the gut. The enhanced Titan picked him up and was about to crush him when Markus drove both his fists into his skull, knocking him back. Markus followed it up with a kick to the face that disorientated him, allowing the demigod to escape.

Quickly applying his War God Speed Impulse, Markus' perception slowed down as he took in every detail. He ignored the struggling Artemis, the worried looks of his friends and the other demigods. He only looked at Atlas, who had recovered quickly and was charging at him. He looked at the Titan for a split second, his mind making quick calculations for him. As Atlas' fist grew closer to his face, his brain worked faster than a supercomputer, calculating each trajectory and angle available from the punch. Ten centimetres away from him, the fist grew closer, cutting the distance quickly. Raising his arms, Markus deflected the fist by the rist fluidly, as if it was water passing by him. A knee was raised to meet his stomach. Another quick calculation. Seeing no possible way out, Markus used Atlas' knee, grabbing it with both hands and moving himself like liquid. He practically rolled off the strike.

Before he could even steady his position, Atlas was moving, going for a raised strike. Too easy, too simple. Markus could see the glint in his eyes, past the hatred and disgust. He could see the calculations he was making himself. Instead of going low, he went high. He jumped, going for Atlas' fists head on. Just as they were about to destroy his skull, Markus grabbed one of Atlas' arms mid-swing, rotating himself 360 degrees to give himself time and energy. Another calculation. Grunting, Markus held the arm tightly and shifted it to the left, dislocating it only slightly. He took the narrowly quick interval as Atlas grunted, surprised. He was leaning forward, going for his left collarbone instead of his head. A quick strike there, and he was already moving, evading the fatal blow from the Titan.

Markus spun off his opponent, dozens of calculations already made. Some good, some risky. Only one suited him. A burst of speed and Markus was dodging and weaving through Atlas' attacks, trajectories and time management added onto his strategy. His body wasn't doing any of this. It was his mind, every calculation being made and his body reacting. _Full mind_ , he noted to himself, his body gliding across each blow and receiving no damage. _Full body._ He jumped, dodging a sneak attack from the Titan of Endurance. His body was arched at an angle, his back unnaturally bent. When Atlas tried to attack from above, Markus used that opportunity to slide down his arms and strike his vibrating arm at the left side of Titan's body. _Full power!_

Atlas' body ringed as he flinched, his left side going numb for a second. But that second was all Markus needed. Atlas received a fist to the face, a strike to the neck, and a kick to the knee. All of that left him open for the double-headed strike that sent him to the ground face-first.

Markus would've continued, but ceased his assault. He knew full well that he shouldn't press forward. And he was proven right. Atlas had recovered quicker than he had thought, body recovered.

"That," the Titan noted, cracking his neck, "wasn't bad. I actually felt that."

Markus clicked his teeth. He struck his chest a couple of times, purposefully aiming for Jashin's stone. Seems like it was tougher than he'd thought.

He crossed his arms together to block Atlas' punch. His arms were ringing at the blow. It sent him reeling slightly, be quickly recovered.

Before Atlas could do anymore, his body exploded, the explosion rune on his arm detonating. The son of Poseidon had put it on him without him looking. It had enough force to match a nuke, which was something.

Atlas emerged from the smoke cloud, looking no worse than before he was attacked. He brushed some imaginary dirt off his shoulders, and looked around with a smile, not seeing Markus anywhere. "Where are you, demigod?" he called out in a sing-song voice. He didn't expect an answer of course, but instead opted for a different approach.

Sensing where he was, Atlas smirked. He punched the air behind him, hearing a grunt and feeling his fist connect with something. Markus grunted as he became visible, sliding backwards and his palms outstretched, having blocked the attack.

When Atlas persisted, Markus moved, equipping Yamato and having the runes on the sword glow brightly. Atlas grunted as one of his arms came off and the sword disappeared. Markus dashed towards the red stone Atlas had, wanting to weaken him.

What he did not expect was for the Titan's arms to effortlessly regenerate like something out of science fiction when his hand was less than an inch away from the stone. Markus screamed in pain when he was subject to the double grip of Atlas, the Titan's monstrous strength threatening to crush his bones.

Atlas chuckled. "Such wonderful screams. I wonder if your friends sound the same as I kill them and take the females as concubines. I bet that their screams will be just _lovely._ "

He wasn't prepared for Markus' body to disperse into millions of black butterflies. The creatures fluttered around, swarming Atlas and pestering him. He snarled as he swatted at them like flies. During the distraction, he was only somewhat aware of the crimson speedster that was Markus as the demigod slammed his fist into his lower back. This made Atlas launch back slightly, his feet digging into the ground. He _was_ able to grab the fist that was about to smash into him again.

The Titan gave a savage grin as he tried to crush Markus' hand, only for him to frown as Markus vibrated his hand, phasing through. When Atlas gave punch, Markus grabbed it. Both of them clasped each others hands, struggling to overpower the other. Both of them yelled, the ground crumbling under their combined powers.

Snarling, Markus phased his body through Atlas, zooming around the throne room and gaining speed. When he gained enough, he zipped towards the Titan. When Atlas made to strike, his fist passed through an afterimage. Confused, Atlas dropped his guard, leaving himself susceptible to the brutal punch to the crotch that Markus gave him.

The Titan screamed in absolute pain as every male watching winced. Artemis and Zoe grinned.

Grinning savagely, Markus started to beat the downed Atlas to a bloody pulp. Well, if he wasn't going to do it the easy way, then just punching each other until one was down was going to have to work. Admittedly, this was Markus' favourite strategy.

His arms were blurring into afterimages from the amount of speed. That didn't even speak of the impact waves. The entire mountain shook and rumbled from the force, and this rumbling allowed the lone one-eyed demigod and monsters to fall off the edge of the cliff, sending them tumbling several hundred feet below.

A steadily growing crater appeared under Markus' furious assault, with cracks and fissures spreading out at a rapid pace. The statues and pillars trembled, threatening to topple, and many of the weaker walls already had.

Atlas, under the intense assault of the demigod, found his body beginning to ache, and it wasn't from overuse of the stone, but from the forces being put on his body. He had to admit it; even with the stone granted to him, this demigod was giving him trouble, and Atlas was now annoyed.

The red stone glowed, and the Titan vanished just as the next punch came down, splintering marble all the way down to the underlying granite of the mountain in an explosion of dirt and small rocks. Markus swiped his hand to clear the dust cloud. He saw that Atlas was already there, his fist cocked back and glowing with crimson energy.

Just as Markus was about to be hit, the entire world stopped and turned grey. The music stopped playing. Markus turned to glare at nothing in particular. "Fuck you, Kronium345, for wanting to let me get hit. Why can't you make me dodge this?"

A black portal appeared, and a man in his twenties stepped out of it. He wore black jeans, a crimson trench coat, a red hat, an Avenged Sevenfold T-shirt, and had big orange glasses covering his eyes. His ebony hair hung loosely, reaching his shoulders. In his hands were several objects, a large round shield that was painted red, white and blue, with a white star in the middle of it, held in his right hand. A golden gauntlet that had six glowing stones of different colours was covering his left hand. A large axe that sparked with lightning was strapped to his back, along with two katanas.

Markus glared at the mysterious being, eyes twitching. "Okay, why are you dressed like Alucard from Hellsing? And why do you have Captain America's shield, Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet and Thor's new hammer Stormbreaker? But more importantly, why, in the name of all that is holy, are you wearing an Avenged Sevenfold T-shirt, while a Disturbed song is playing?"

"Alucard is cool, Infinity War was awesome, and fuck you, that's why," the man known as Kronium345 responded. He then looked at the audience. "By the way, watch Infinity War if you haven't. It was really good. Because these-" he gestured to his weapons "-are all the spoilers that you're getting. Also, the katanas are a sort of tribute to Deadpool 2, played by the amazing Ryan Reynolds. Awesome movie, by the way. I wanted to wear the suit, but then it'd clash with my Alucard get-up, and-"

"Look, we can get to that later," Markus interrupted, annoyed. "Can't I just breeze through this fight? Please?"

"Nope," Kronium345 denied, shaking his head. "I want a good fight. Besides, you've breezed through practically all of your fights."

"That's your fault!"

"Semantics! Now, let's continue." The amazing author clicked his fingers, allowing himself to disappear and time to move again.

Markus scowled. "Fuck hi-"

Atlas' fist connected with his jaw, dislocating it and causing a shockwave to produce. He was sent flying, his body landing harshly on the ground. Markus coughed up blood, a few teeth coming loose.

Before Atlas could continue his assault, Markus decided to go with a simple process. Due to his broken jaw, the blood gushing from his mouth, and Atlas' earlier comment about his friends, his rage grew. So he decided to use that.

Just as Atlas was almost upon him, Markus disappeared. Well, he didn't _disappear_ , he just moved really fast so no one could see him. Including Atlas.

The Titan winced as he received a powerful punch to his face, then a kick to his thigh, followed by a punch that made him keel over. He was only able to quickly grab the fist that would've broken through his torso. Just barely.

He panted as his eyes bore into Markus' furious orbs. He made to attack, but was too slow, not able to dodge the same punch to the gut that he received _again_. He was really getting sick of that. The son of Poseidon then followed this up with a headbutt that only winded Atlas. He responded in kind, making Markus see stars slightly. A kick sent him flying, forcing himself to dig his hands and legs deep into the ground to halt his movement.

Markus spat out a glob of blood, quickly using the ambient water vapour - which was salt-laden vapour - to heal himself of his injuries.

 ***Interlude Song: Play: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace***

The two of them had enjoyed their little tussle. Now, the _real_ fight began.

The Titan's true form started to reveal itself. He seemed to grow bigger slightly, two more arms of equal build to his original ones, burst from his back and clenched into fists. The mortals in the room closed their eyes, their organs starting to burn just by looking at Atlas. Markus faced no such struggle, his red aura becoming more intense. His runes glowed brightly.

With an identical grin on both of their faces, the two divine beings charged. Both had crimson lights trailing after them as they ran, destroyed the ground beneath brought their right hands back and punched, their fists colliding and sending a shockwave through the mountain that was felt all the way on Olympus.

Everyone, both on Mt. Othrys and Olympus, felt the power rolling off each of them. They could all feel the shockwave, the destruction. San Francisco shook itself, unable to handle the force of two powerful beings colliding.

Markus caught one of Atlas' fists and countered with an elbow. He wasn't able to see one of his other fists hitting him in the side. This allowed Atlas to continue his devestating assault, hitting the demigod with powerful punches. He was only able to counter a few of them, and powering through the rest.

Each shockwave caused the ceiling the break, allowing it to give way. The two fighting beings traded blow after blow, neither giving the other an opportunity to take a small breather. While stuck in a head clinch, Markus had driven his elbow sharply into the Titan's gut. After Atlas released him, he then grabbed the Titan's head and jumped up, driving his knee into the Titan's nose and shattering it. Atlas stumbled for a moment, but quickly recovered and drove his massive right fist into Markus' stomach, making the teen double over and allowing him to grab hold of his shoulder and leg, lifting him up before dropping him down onto a knee, breaking a few ribs. Markus had needed a second to come back from that, catching Atlas' foot when the Titan tried to kick him in the already broken ribs.

Pulling Atlas off his feet, the demigod gained a few seconds to breathe easy before he began a long combo filled with mean punches. To top it off, Markus brought his left fist back and delivered a nasty left hook that dislocated the Titan's jaw. Atlas stumbled into the cavern's wall with a muffled cry as he coughed up ichor, before a sickening crack filled the area. Atlas snapped a grin before rushing him with his fists back and ready to strike. Markus managed to block a few, but another left punch to his gut disorientated him.

Growling, Markus decided to calm the fuck down and _to_ _start_ _fighting properly_. Activating his War God Speed Impulse, he started to counter and evade Atlas' blows, and responding in kind. They both moved at impossible speeds, countering and blocking and attacking. Those watching were transfixed as demigod and Titan fought.

Markus punched Atlas' strike, followed by him using his knee to block the strike. He followed it up with his own attack, the Titan deflecting it. Atlas responded with a double-headed strike that Markus immediately ducked under, weaving his way through each attack, kicking him away.

Atlas grew annoyed at the stalemate the two had. He roared, holding his right arm out, a red light building at his palm. Markus got ready at the sight of the attack, only for his eyes to widen as he saw that it wasn't aimed at him. With a grin, the Titan shot the red beam of energy at the hiding questers.

Each half-blood's eyes went wide at the unexpected move, not able to move quickly to avoid it. Percy and Thalia instinctively closed their eyes while Zoe and Adria braced themselves. Artemis screamed, her entire being telling her to protect her Hunters. But apparently, they didn't have to worry about anything. Just as the red beam was almost upon them, Markus' back appeared in their field of vision. They couldn't see anything, but there was a small flash of red, and then nothing.

What had happened was this: Markus immediately appeared in front of the red beam and grabbed it with his bare hand. Then, with little effort, he crushed the gathered energy beam, red particles flickering from his hand. He looked at Atlas, stone-faced. This unnerved the deity.

"You know what?" Markus spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. And yet the tone scared everyone. "I was just going to keep playing with you. You struggle. I struggle. And then I kick your ass. I said earlier that I was going to crush you. Now," Markus chuckled, the sound scaring Atlas severely, "I'm going to atomize you."

Markus moved instantly, punching Atlas in the nose so hard and with such terrifying force that the powered-up Titan went sailing clean off the mountain and straight to the ocean itself. Markus flew after him, the mountain shaking a little and splintering slightly. He dived into the ocean, practically ensuring that Atlas' hope of winning went from 0.0001% to 0% completely.

Markus reached Atlas in no time and punched him so hard that the ocean shook, the shockwave splitting it slightly. Atlas got no rest, because he was suddenly shooting across the state of California, the sights and sounds blurring, the G-force on his body threatening to snap off his Titan-enhanced limbs. The less said about the heat from air friction the better. Atlas felt something break when he suddenly stopped all of a sudden. All the kinetic energy had left him. He slowly turned his head to see Markus holding him.

He whimpered. Markus grinned, and his fingers dug deep into the Titan's chest. With a loud squelch, he tore out a massive chunk of flesh and bone, ripping out the stone that gave Atlas his power. The Titan was engulfed in red energy, energy that was sucked into Markus' hand. The demigod clenched his fist, and everything in it was crushed into nonexistence.

The fading of the energy revealed the depowered Atlas, still whimpering, but now he was wearing that mortal suit from before.

Markus' grin was positively face-splitting. He reared his fist back, the crimson aura condensing and coating his entire limb. The fist came forward, a cone of compressed air surrounding his wrist. With a thunderous sound, Atlas took a fist right to the jaw, and he went _flying._

Markus instantly appeared directly in front of Atlas. He backflipped in midair, sending Atlas shooting through the atmosphere and into the exosphere of Earth, up where the oxygen was barely existent and the satellites orbited the planet. Coating his entire inner body with his divine energy to protect himself from the lack of oxygen, Markus flew up to meet Atlas.

His fist came down, blowing a hole right through the Titan's gut, impaling him up to the shoulder. Then raw force took over, and Atlas went shooting down to the planet, a cone of fire encircling his body as he descended, the pull of gravity and the cylinder of pure transcendental force bearing down on him assisting in his downward acceleration.

He came down upon Mt. Diablo, coming at over Mach 40, completely destroying the rock and causing tremors across the state. It was only due to Atlas' power as the Titan of Endurance that he survived… if only barely.

Markus appeared instantly, ripping off each of his extra arms and enjoying the screams that followed.

"You know, I see what you meant when you were talking about screams. It's _exhilarating._ "

Done with his torture, Markus held his hand out in front of him. His hand glowed with energy.

"Well, it's been fun. But I have places to go, people to meet, asses to kick, gods to smack down, you know how it works."

A laser beam the width of a small ball discharged. It didn't explode in tremendous power, but penetrated the floor, with Atlas following afterwards. The light blinded everyone watching. After a few seconds, the light faded, leaving everyone to blink the light out of their eyes. When they looked at the scene, they saw that a large hole in the ground the size of Atlas was produced. It was cleanly cut and seemed to stretch on for metres deep into the Earth's crust.

 ***End Song***

Markus sighed, dismissing his Rage of Sparta. Sweat clung to his clothes and skin, and he was only slightly tired. He disappeared for a moment, then reappeared, refreshed. "Got to love water healing."

"Is the fight over?" Percy asked tentatively, walking out from behind his and the other's hiding spot. He inspected where the monsters, where the demigod was. "What about Kronos and the others?"

Markus frowned, expanding his senses. He couldn't feel Kronos' essence, nor the demigod's, or the monsters. He couldn't even feel the Princess Andromeda at sea. He growled. "Gone. All of them. Including their boat." He visibly calmed down. "At least Mt. Othrys is trashed. Oh, and I killed a Titan. Awesome."

The rest walked out cautiously. Thalia looked at the trashed eternal palace, practically rubble at this point. "So, it's over?"

"Yep. So now..." Markus appeared in front of her, shocking her, "... I get my victory kiss." He pulled Thalia in close, mashing their lips together. Thalia, practically mentally exhausted with everything, melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his. The two deepened their kiss, both feeling pretty elated at this point. Nothing could disturb them...

"Hello!" Artemis called out, interrupting them. They looked, seeing that the goddess was still holding the sky. "You foolish boy! Now who is going to hold up the sky?!"

Markus scoffed. "You disturbed me for that?" He turned to kiss Thalia again, but she turned to the side, allowing Markus to kiss her neck. While admittedly an amazing feeling, she had to focus. "She's right. Who's going to hold up the heavens?"

The question dawned on the questers. Now Adria and Zoe were panicking. They still hadn't rescued their goddess!

"Easy," Markus answered, done with his kissing. "She can."

Now the Hunters and Artemis turned to him. "How dare you?!" the goddess screeched. "You-"

"In case you forgot, do you want to remember who kicked who's ass in the first place?" Markus reminded her, getting her to clamp her mouth shut with a click. "You can take Atlas' place. Who knows, holding the sky might humble you."

"That is _not_ why we came here," Adria retorted, scowling at him. "We came to rescue Lady Artemis."

Markus shrugged. "That's why _you_ came. _I_ didn't. I don't care whether she gets out of her burden or not."

Zoe sneered. "And just when I thought thou had actually become a decent male. I'm proven wrong yet again."

He rolled his eyes. "Uh huh. Just remember who basically saved all of your asses and prevented you from dying. You're welcome. Now, we can go to McDonalds. I'm starving." He held Thalia's hand and was about to walk off, until Thalia yanked her arm off. Markus turned to look at her frown. "What? No McDonalds?"

"We can't leave her here," Thalia said.

Markus frowned, honestly confused. "Why?"

"Because... because she's a goddess! An Olympian!"

"Yes, and Atlas was a Titan. What else is new?"

"The burden was for Atlas to take," Artemis bit out, now weak and barely holding the sky. "It was his punishment."

"For what? His sins?" Markus almost laughed. "To be honest, you're just as bad as the Titans, so how do you not deserve this?"

Artemis mustered up enough energy to glare. "What gives you the right to judge me and my fellow Olympians?"

"The fact that I'm the only one who can actually do something about your situation. None of them-" he pointed to the questers "-are taking your burden. Zoe and Adria would die if they took it. So... yeah. You can just wait for one of the gods to help you. Because I ain't doing jack shit."

Artemis tried to glare, to curse him, but she couldn't even lift her tongue. Exhaustion, something almost alien to her, settled in. She dropped to her knees.

"Milady!" Zoe and Adria were at Artemis' side, kneeling and trying to help her. But it was useless. Both Hunters glared at the son of Poseidon. "Why?!" Adria screamed. "Is your pride so injured that you would refuse to help her?!"

"No," Markus denied. "I just don't see the point. Why should I? I don't gain or lose anything from her being freed or not."

Adria almost attacked Markus out of frustration, but was held back by Zoe. She was still glaring at Markus.

Percy walked up to his brother. "Markus, come on. Artemis is needed for the winter solstice."

"Which is something I should care about, because?" Percy frowned now. "I'm already going to destroy Olympus. Why should I aid an Olympian?"

Now everyone was angry at him. Having enough, Thalia walked up to him and poked him in the chest. Hard. "Will you stop acting like a child?!" she practically yelled, annoyed. "If Artemis isn't there for the winter solstice, we lose another year of war preparations, and Kronos will have the advantage. He'll win!"

"Then I'll fight Kronos myself."

"You can't fight all of the Titans, monsters, demigods _and_ Kronos all yourself!"

The only one who can even challenge me is Kronos," Markus retorted. "Everyone else I can obliterate. And Kronos is in a million pieces. It's not even a contest. Problem solved."

Thalia looked at him as if seeing him in a different light. "So you'd risk Camp Half-Blood's safety? Just to prove your point?"

"No!" Markus was appalled that she would say that. "Why would I do that?! I'd never willingly endanger anyone at camp! You know that!"

"Then why can't you save Artemis? You can't do everything on your own. I don't care how powerful you are, you aren't a god."

"Technically, I can become a god," Markus mumbled, but Thalia glared at him even harder for that.

"I don't care. Even gods can't do everything on your own. I get that you hate Artemis. I get that you hate Olympus. But are you so selfish and arrogant that you'd risk our lives just to prove a point? That you'd risk our safety?"

Markus clenched his jaw tightly. He didn't want to help Artemis at all. If Olympus suffered, he'd be dancing in joy. If Artemis suffered, even better. But, he wasn't going to risk anyone's safety at camp for his anger. He still grudgingly admitted that he _could_ defeat the Titans all by himself (and he genuinely wasn't even being arrogant about that) with possible major injuries.

Thalia looked at him, watching his expression shift. Percy also did the same thing. The stares were getting to him, making him growl. He was going to destroy Olympus! So why was he being persuaded for this?! It didn't even matter if he saved Artemis. If she was freed, she'd die along with most of the Olympians. If she wasn't freed, she'd suffer. Either way, she was screwed over. Why couldn't the others see that?!

"Please," Thalia pleaded, seeing he was struggling to decide. Seeing the pleading gaze in her blue eyes, he sighed heavily. He felt that he was already whipped by his girlfriend. If he did get anymore girlfriends in the future, he pitied his future. Well, he may have lost the battle of words, but he wasn't going to lose the war.

Not saying anything, he walked towards the struggling Artemis. "Give me the sky."

"But-" Artemis tried to say, but Markus wasn't in the mood for this.

"Give. Me. The. Sky."

Reluctantly, Artemis lowered the sky, just enough for Markus to step in and take it off of her. The goddess quickly crawled out, landing in a heap. Immediately, Adria and Zoe tended to her.

Markus actually felt the strain on his upper body from the sky... before he actively started to push it back. "I could bench-press this," Markus muttered, but just loud enough for the others to hear. Scowling, he set his plan into motion. He had a theory of the sky and earth meeting. Was Ouranos, primordial of the sky, trying to get back to earth because he wants to reconcile with Gaia? What if he was trying to cause her harm? Jokingly, Markus thought that he just wanted to bang her, but he pushed that thought aside... actually, no. That _did_ seem more likely. He was dealing with Greek mythology, after all.

With a grunt, Markus gathered the air and flew past the ceiling and up into the air, whilst carrying the sky. He was literally carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His muscles burned slightly, but he pushed on. The tube-like funnel cloud that was the 'sky' kept on rising as Markus carried it to the actual 'sky'. Gods, this was so confusing.

He kept on rising higher, now entering Zeus' domain. The sky crackled with lightning, but Markus wasn't affected by this. He kept on rising as he lifted the heavens, until he felt that he reached the level that he wanted.

What he was about to do was confusing, strange and considered foolish, but Markus was each of those things. So, he went along with his plan.

He sent a connection to the 'sky' that he was holding, feeling it travel and meet the actual sky. He pushed deeper and deeper, until an ancient being spoke into his mind, bypassing his mental shields.

 _Who are you_? the voice asked. It was male, but sounded heavy, like trying to survive being in a snow avalanche. It was deep, very old, and frighteningly powerful. Markus tensed as he decided to choose his words carefully.

When he spoke, he projected his words mentally. _Ouranos. I am Markus Henderson, son of Poseidon._

 _You have a connection to the sea, yet I also feel a piece of the sky from you. Why is that?_

 _I am the champion of a Shinto god. Susanoo, the god of storms._

 _Ah, so that's it._ The voice didn't sound shocked. Rather, it sounded amused. _So why do you wish to speak to me?_

The more the voice spoke, the more Markus felt unease and fear. Hell, he could feel Ouranos looking at him, and the demigod felt like an ant underneath the sun. This was a being that was ancient millennia before the Titans were born. This was a being that went beyond godly. This was a being that if it wanted to, it could step forth and erase the world with ease, because where the Titans were 'of' something, and where the Olympians were 'of' something, the primordials _are_ something.

They were the physical manifestations of the universe's most abstract and eldritch forces. Light, dark, life, death, earth, sky, water, fate, time, day, and night. They were beyond deities, beyond something as simple as labels such as being Greek or Roman. They transcended religion and worship, and existed on a plane of existence beyond anything man or science could ever hope to comprehend.

It was a humbling feeling and experience for Markus, who gulped slightly.

He recollected himself and decided to speak. _Why are you trying to connect with Gaia_?

Markus could feel Ouranos' displeasure. _Simply put, I'm trying to harm that_ woman _for what she got our own children to do to me._

Markus nodded, digesting the information. To be honest, in a way, it kind of made sense. _Ah. So, uh, may you please go back up into the actual 'sky' and not try to crush the Earth._

 _And why should I do that?_

 _Because I don't want to hold the sky._

Markus couldn't sense anything, but he could tell that Ouranos was slightly amused. If only slightly. _I see. Alright. I will retract my will back into the rest of the sky._

Markus withheld the shock of getting the primordial to agree with his request. _I sense a 'but' there._

 _Indeed. I sense a war coming, boy. Not with my pathetic son, no. Afterwards. Gaia will rise soon._

Markus was so shocked by the news that he almost dropped the sky, but he managed to catch it. _Are you serious?_

 _Yes. Most likely due to_ Kronos _rising also_. The name 'Kronos' was spoken with rage. _Do this for me, boy. Destroy Kronos and Gaia for me when she rises. I will provide you power for when the time comes. Do this for me, and I will return the part of me that you are holding to my domain. I will even give you my permission to travel my domain with no trouble. All air travel shall be safe for you and your companions._

Markus licked his dry lips, still holding the sky. This... this was good. Well, not Gaia rising, but the deal. Kronos he could handle, but Gaia was another thing. If she was anything like her husband, then he and the others were in trouble. If he could get Ouranos' aid... yes, the deal seemed very nice. And he wouldn't have to worry about air travel. _Deal_.

 _Good,_ Ouranos rumbled. _Do not tell your Olympians of the news. They will play right into Gaia's hands. Tell only those that you trust. If need be, tell only one or two of the sensible Olympians._

 _Got you_.

Markus suddenly gasped as the oppressive weight of the sky was suddenly not there anymore. The tube-like thing that was the 'sky' was pulled back into the heavens. Soon enough, there was no Titan's Curse. Markus actually felt that he accomplished more than he wanted.

He breathed in and out lightly, stretching his body. Gaia was coming. Maybe not now, or tomorrow, or next year, but she was coming. Kronos was... somewhat of a problem, but Gaia was the real threat. She was a primordial like Ouranos, so she was equally as powerful. This just got a lot harder. Plans, preparations... and he couldn't tell camp, as that would alert the gods. They'd play right into Gaia's hands, as Ouranos said, which was bad. And Gaia would be aware that someone knew of her rising. He didn't want her attention on him. Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss.

Markus flew down to the remains of Mt. Othrys, landing beside the others. He saw that Artemis had recovered somewhat, and was looking at Markus wearily.

He scoffed, looking at the others. He schooled his features, so they wouldn't see his worried expression. "There. You happy?"

"Very," Thalia nodded. She noted his hair. "Uh, Markus?"

"What?" Feeling his hair, he noted that it was alright. "It's not gone. So what's up?"

"Half of your hair is white," Percy noted. Markus frowned, conjuring an ice mirror to see what he was talking about. And indeed, Markus did indeed have half of his hair turn white. He frowned. "I'm guessing that this is the result of carrying the sky?"

"Guess so," Percy agreed. He chuckled slightly. "You look like an old man. All you need is the wrinkles."

"Screw you," Markus scowled. He then looked at Artemis. "So, now that you're free, are you going to transport us to Olympus? Or will I actually have to do the work?"

Artemis glared at Markus, but didn't say anything else. He just raised an eyebrow. Thalia elbowed him in the side, making him grunt and look at her.

Just then, the moonlight brightened, and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by the most beautiful deer any of the demigods had ever seen. It landed right next to them. It looked like Santa Claus' sleigh.

All of them got onto the chariot, the deer started to carry the chariot upwards, the entire thing glowing with silver.

The group was silent for a moment as Artemis steered the chariot. So, Percy decided to break it as a thought came to him.

"You know," he started as the others looked at him, "I just had a thought. The Sky was trying to meet with the Earth, right?"

"Yes," Thalia answered slowly.

"So, does that basically mean that the two wanted to have sex?"

They were all silent as they processed this. Thalia had a shade of green on her face, Zoe and Adria looked slightly disgusted, Artemis looked disgruntled, and Markus... well, he already knew the actual reason, so he didn't show anything. Still, the thought did make him slightly curious.

"That-that... no. That's-" Thalia tried to refute, but she couldn't. Truthfully, she didn't know the actual answer.

"Though the idea is... odd," Artemis commented, turning to glare at Percy for his comment. He shivered slightly as Markus glared at her, "you aren't wrong, boy."

"So does that mean that... you and Markus... were holding the Sky's dick?"

Markus and Artemis went white as a sheet at that. While Markus knew that the Sky and Earth weren't actually trying to have sex, the idea was polluting his mind. Plus, he didn't actually _know_ what part of Ouranos that he touched. Meanwhile, Artemis had a horrified look on her face. She had _never_ once thought about it like that.

"NO!" both of them denied quickly, startling the others. Artemis almost lost control of her deer, and Markus looked like he was about to collapse, having a disgusted look on his face.

"Oh, by the gods..." Artemis whispered, looking like she was about to puke. "Father... father, why?"

Markus almost looked like he was about to cry. "I touched another man's dick..." He sank to his knees. "Percy, why?! I was better off not knowing!"

"Don't look at me! The thought just came to me!"

"Then you should've kept your mouth shut!" Markus looked at his hands in horror. "I... touched a dick... oh, gods. I think I'm going to be sick."

"For once, boy, I agree with you." Artemis' milky complexion looked just a tad bit green. Markus curled up into a ball and cried slightly.

Percy, feeling bad for his brother, walked forward and patted him on the back comfortingly. "Uh, there, there..."

"Fuck you, Percy," Markus responded, sobbing quietly. "Fuck you to the deepest pits of Tartarus."

Thalia came this time, trying to do her best to comfort him as well. "Come on, Barnacle Brain. It-It's not so bad." At that, Markus sobbed even louder.

Artemis still looked green, still feeling like puking. "I'm very grateful that Atlas is dead. Otherwise I would curse his name and kill him." She whimpered, appearing to almost have a nervous breakdown. The Hunters comforted her, looking mortified.

After a long, long while, Markus and Artemis recovered, albeit barely. The son of Poseidon tried to force the previous thoughts back to his head and focus on his plan. He was at full strength, so this should work. Well, emphasis on 'should'.

None of them slept, as their nerves from before kept them awake. Pretty soon, Manhattan was coming into view. High above the Empire State Building, Olympus was its own island of light, a floating mountain ablaze with torches and braziers, white marble palaces gleaming in the early morning air.

The lightning and thunder didn't affect the moon chariot at all, practically ignoring it, in fact. All of them watched the eternal palace in awe. In the early morning darkness, torches and fires made the mountainside palaces glow twenty different colors, from bloodred to indigo. Apparently no one ever slept on Olympus. The twisting streets were full of demigods and nature spirits and minor godlings bustling about, riding chariots or sedan chairs carried by Cyclopes. Winter didn't seem to exist here. They caught the scent of the gardens in full bloom, jasmine and roses and even sweeter things that were unnamable. Music drifted up from many windows, the soft sounds of lyres and reed pipes.

Towering at the peak of the mountain was (one of) the greatest palace of all, the glowing white hall of the gods.

Markus, despite himself, started to grin widely. He hid it quickly in front of the others. He didn't know exactly how today would play out, but he would make sure that it would end in a bloodbath.

Artemis mounted the silver chariot in front of the silver gates that were repaired from before. The goddess landed, along with the others. Artemis turned to look at Markus, who gave her a meaningful look. Regretting every bit of her actions, she allowed the demigods to follow her. Not knowing why, the others could sense the tense atmosphere. They all had a sinking feeling inside of their guts, knowing the reason why.

Thirteen enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth, just like the placement of the cabins at camp. The Olympians (barring Aphrodite and Ares, for obvious reasons) plus Hades were seated. The ceiling above glittered with constellations. Each god and goddess was about fifteen feet tall. The air got extremely heavy, as if all of the demigods and demi-Titan were carrying the sky themselves.

As the gods laid eyes on them, Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Dionysus and Athena glared at Markus. Poseidon smiled at his sons, Hermes looked extremely sad, Hephaestus looked slightly happy at seeing Markus, Demeter looked indifferent, while Hades looked intrigued. Artemis immediately joined her fellow Olympians on her throne, growing to her respective fifteen feet. Her wounds had healed, and her exhaustion had disappeared.

There was silence for only one moment. One small, sweet, peaceful moment. And then Zeus spoke.

"You dare?" his voice whispered, fury laden in it. He glared at Markus, who looked indifferent. The others had shivers crawl down their spines. "You dare show your face to me? After the crimes you have committed against Olympus? You have killed two of my sons, humiliated two others, disfigured Aphrodite, and nearly killed my daughter. When will your madness end?"

Markus was silent, not even looking at Zeus. Instead, he turned to Hades, who still looked intrigued. Getting the message, he grinned, nodding his head in confirmation. Then Markus turned to his father, who looked remorseful, but nodded nonetheless.

"Look at me, boy!" Zeus bellowed, his voice reverberating across the throne room.

"I warned Aphrodite," Markus spoke suddenly. "I said that Olympus will be razed and be nothing but a bad dream. And I intend to keep my promise."

Hera scoffed. "Foolish boy. You think that you can stand up to the combined might of Olympus? Your foolish claims are nothing but bravado."

Markus ignored the Queen of Olympus, something that irked her. Instead, he continued to look at Zeus. "Like I said before, history is repeating itself. I'm not here to threaten you. I'm not here to spare you." Markus grinned insanely, madness creeping into his eyes. "I'm here to commit deicide."

At that word, the Olympians didn't waste any time. They knew that the son of Poseidon was here to kill them. Well, most of them. They had already heard his message before, and so had prepared for such a case. Instantly, Apollo, Artemis and Athena had sprung from their thrones, bows and spear and shield unleashed. As they got closer to Markus, the demigod did two things. One, he quickly and discretely put up a barrier around Percy, Thalia, Adria and Zoe, who looked stunned at the sudden movements. And two, he entered God Trigger.

Markus' body exploded with such power that everyone, gods and demigods, had to look away. The mortals inside the barrier weren't affected by the shockwave of power, but their organs did burn intensely. This was the feeling that they got when in the presence of gods revealing their true forms. The implications of this shocked them.

The Olympians themselves were floored and blown away from the release of power. They all felt it... and felt fear in their hearts. The elder gods - Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter and Hera - almost collapsed in fear, even though three of them weren't being targeted. This was because Markus' power was beyond theirs... and neared the level of their father. In fact, was _exactly_ on the level of their father. They all felt this same type of power when he was facing Samael, but being this up close, they could now practically _taste_ how powerful he was.

Markus' body was revealed, his crown of thorns that was his hair and his emerald eyes that revealed that his Greek omegas interlocking with his pupils showed clearly. While the appearance was quite simple, it was the eyes that shook the gods. Those eyes that showed the end. The end of Olympus.

Apollo and Artemis then looked to each other and nodded. Despite their fear, despite the power that Markus had displayed... they were still going to defend their home They began to run at high speeds in a circle around the throne room, and were rapidly firing arrows at him. However, their arrows just went through Markus like he was made of water. Artemis and Apollo made to retreat, but Markus disappeared.

Stunned, they couldn't see that Markus had appeared between the two of them and grabbed them both by the hair and lifted them in the air. Grinning, he forced them to headbutt each other, causing the two gods to cry out in pain.

Both Artemis and Apollo's hair were caked with golden blood. Markus then slammed them into the ground, creating a small crater and resulting in a horrifying crack, and then threw both of them to the other side of the throne room like ragdolls, colliding with a wall. Their bodies seemed to be stuck inside the outline that they left.

Before Markus could pursue them, he sensed a disturbance in the water vapour. Using his War God Speed Impulse, his perception of time had slowed down so dramatically that it looked like time had stopped. **(A.N. - Identical to when Quicksilver moves in X-Men: Apocalypse)**. He looked to see that Hermes was trying to speed towards him. Markus ran towards him. Of course, everyone saw things differently. To Markus, it looked like his was running normally, without God Trigger. To the gods, it looked like he had moved at the speed of light.

Markus punched Hermes, making him fly into the air. Again, Hermes was moving in slow motion compared to Markus, so it was like all the gravity in the room had disappeared and he was merely drifting in the air. Markus practically ran out of the throne room and performed a lap around the eternal palace, all in but a second. Then he jumped up and, while still in motion, punched Hermes so hard that he literally folded in on himself.

A massive shockwave that blew the gods back was produced, and Hermes was instantly unconscious.

Dismissing his War God Speed Impulse, he suddenly saw a shadow appear around him. Curious, he looked up to see that Hephaestus had grabbed a large pillar and was planning to smash him with it. The object connected, creating a large dust cloud to be produced, along with a powerful crash.

Hephaestus didn't even get to breath as the pillar was immediately destroyed by Markus' power. Not done yet, Markus snapped his fingers, turning the pieces of rubble produced from the pillar into bats that immediately swarmed the god.

His body burst into flames, destroying the incoming bats. And yet, more kept coming, overwhelming the god. This allowed Markus to zip past the bats and clothesline the god of the forge, making him hack up blood.

Practically feeling the ozone in the air, Markus didn't do anything as the master bolt was thrown at him. As it struck, a massive flash of light and energy engulfed the throne room. From the barrier, Thalia and Percy screamed as they saw this. The gods couldn't see what had happened, but they had assumed that Markus had been destroyed.

As the light from the bolt dimmed, the remaining Olympians squinted their eyes to see Markus' fate. What was revealed shocked and horrified them. The light fully dimmed to see Markus, standing in the same position as before, unmarked. What shocked them even more was that he was holding the master bolt.

Markus inspected the weapon. "I can't believe I almost risked my life for this thing," he muttered to himself. The bolt shook, as if trying to resist his hold, but he gripped it tighter, not letting it go. Then he gripped the weapon in both hands. And what he did shocked everyone watching.

He held both ends of the master bolt and grunted. The bolt shook more violently and seemed to emit a high pitch wail, almost as if it was crying. Grinning, Markus kept on adding more force. The vibrations picked up as the noise got higher and higher.

Zeus tried to summon his weapon back, but it was resisting his command. "Impossible," he whispered, eyes wide.

Markus gave a wide grin. "No. A reality." And with that, Markus grunted even louder, snapping the bolt in half.

Following this, a powerful explosion occurred. Thinking quickly, Markus opened one of his personal dimensions to absorb the blast. If he hadn't done that, he would've risked the questers' safety, and he wasn't going to do that. The pocket dimension that he opened up was something that he dubbed the 'Antimatter Dimension'. An alternate dimension where a majority of the matter in this universe is made out of antimatter. Using his control over the dimension, he produced several lightning bolts from this dimension that were composed of positrons. As the resulting explosion from the destroyed master bolt entered this dimension, it was annihilated, and produced enough energy to outstrip dozens of nuclear bombs at once. Thankfully, Markus had closed the dimension before it could spread to this dimension. For future use, Markus absorbed a large amount of lightning from the remains of the master bolt.

Markus grinned, crushing the now useless remains of Zeus' bolt. He enjoyed the shocked and fearful looks the gods gave him. "Is that all you got?"

Athena decided to attack now. She charged, spear and Aegis shield raised. Markus wasn't faltered by the ugly sight of Medusa on the shield and brought out Tsunami and met her charge. The two duelled for a bit, moving around the throne room as Markus dodged any incoming fire. Athena was a better fighter than him, he could admit that. She analysed everything that he did, and made counter-measures for them. Like Ares, it seemed like she knew each move that he made before he could make them. Truly, she did deserve her title as goddess of wisdom and battle.

There was one small problem, though. Actually, two. One, Markus already knew that he was no match for Athena. At least, in a fair fight. That was made evident when Markus took control of her ichor. Athena's body was halted, and her widening eyes indicated that she had no idea why. At least that answered the question of whether or not he can control ichor. Oh, and the second problem was that Markus outclassed her in both strength and speed. So, even though she was a better fighter than him, it was kind of pointless if she couldn't hit him.

Using this knowledge, Markus stabbed her in the gut with Tsunami, getting her to grunt as she was skewered. He had to give her credit, she could take a hit. Channelling lightning through his trident, Markus watched the goddess scream in pain as she was electrocuted. Lifting her as she was impaled, Markus slammed her limp body on the ground, the ground and Athena's bones cracking.

When he saw Artemis charging at him, he merely lifted and extended his trident towards her, spinning it. The result was that Athena was dislodged from his weapon, allowing Markus to Spartan-kick her towards the direction of Artemis, pushing both goddesses back. Holding out his hand, Markus launched a large storm laser towards them, sending them flying.

Both Zeus and Hera shrunk down to a normal human size and started to engage him in a fight. Hera drew a sword, while Zeus did the same.

Seeing this, Markus smiled. "So, is the king and queen done sending their pawns?"

Snarling, Hera charged first. A foolish mistake. Markus moved and backhanded Hera to the side as he engaged Zeus. Zeus' body exploded with power and lightning, clashing with him as he tried to skewer him. Markus merely blocked and deflected. It seems that Zeus preferred using his precious master bolt over the sword. Something that aided him. Channelling earthquake energy to his right hand, punched Zeus in the gut. It was _so_ satisfying to see his body fold in on itself. He launched the god of the sky towards the floor of his throne, landing in a heap.

Turning to the one of the gods that he wanted to kill, Markus appeared in front of a shocked Dionysus. "Hello, Mr. Dick."

Dionysus snarled, and was about to attack Markus until he touched him, removing all the kinetic energy in his body. Nodding, Markus put his plan into action.

Taking out the shakujo that Savitr had given him, he called upon a branch of magic that he hadn't touched in a while. Hindu magic. "मैं न्याय के भगवान, यम से आह्वान करता हूं! इस पापी और न्यायाधीश की आत्मा चुराओ, इसलिए वह पीड़ित होगा! (I call upon the Lord of Justice, Yama! Steal the soul of this sinner and judge, so that he shall suffer!)"

It was silent for a moment, the Olympians being shocked from Markus invoking another being from another pantheon for a spell. And then Dionysus screamed.

His screams were loud and painful. He tried to thrash about, but he was held in place by Markus, who didn't let him go. The reason for Dionysus' screaming was because a figure had appeared. Only Markus and Dionysus could actually see him.

The figure looked like a demon. He wore ancient but beautiful traditional blue robes of Hindu design, an odd golden crown on top of his head that was shaped like a house, and gave off a powerful aura of death. His skin was blue, and had fangs that jutted from his upper teeth. Finally, he had gold eyes that shone with intelligence and power.

 _Who has summoned me?_ the voice rasped, ancient and powerful. It wasn't even above a whisper, and yet the voice was projected to the only two who could feel and see the presence. Not even Hades could see or feel him.

The Olympians were stuck in place as Markus quickly and discretely summoned speed clones to deal with them. Then he turned to the being in front of him. "Yama. It is an honour to meet you," Markus greeted.

The demigod could feel the gaze of the ancient and powerful deity on him. _Oh? Savitr's little insurance. For what reason have you summoned me into this pantheon?_

Markus ignored the part about Savitr and focused on the task at hand. "I have called you to judge this person and to let him enter Naraka for eternal torment."

Markus could feel Yama frowning in confusion. _I sense his heart. He is guilty, true. Worthy enough to enter Naraka. But he is Greek._

Markus clicked his teeth. He was hoping to use the bare minimum to get Dionysus to go to Naraka. "He is a Greek deity. One of the worst and most useless. Besides, you must hate the Olympians as much as I do. Surely, you can make an exception."

Yama was silent for a moment, contemplating it. Finally, he answered. _While it is normally against my laws, I can make an exception. I_ do _harbour a hatred for the Greeks, as do many from my pantheon. Very well._

Yama reached forwards and put his hand down the throat of the wine god. He then grabbed his tongue and pulled. Markus - knowing of the legend - looked away, making sure the scene was obscured for the others in the barrier, as well as dampened the sound. The gods watched, horrified, as Dionysus' tongue was being pulled and pulled, until there was a sickening tearing of flesh and a scream. Against his better judgement, Markus turned to look at a now lifeless Dionysus, who slumped in his throne. Yama floated in front of the god, holding a long strip of pink, wet flesh covered in golden ichor.

 _The deal had been met. I will take my leave_ , Yama announced. And then he, along with the tongue, had vanished from Olympus, along with his presence. Dionysus' body was still for a moment, before it started to break down in golden dust. This time, however, the golden dust disappeared as well. Following this, the god of wine's throne started to crumble, bit by bit. Soon, Dionysus' throne had been destroyed, and his body faded.

Markus grinned madly. "Finally. Hated that little shit." Dismissing Tsunami, he turned to the Olympians, who managed to defeat his speed clones. "Now, who's next?"

Apollo snarled, having recovered from his body-slamming. His body steamed and glowed brightly. "Take this!" His body superheated, every part of his body igniting in a chain reaction. The entire throne room was blasted with energy, as Apollo became pure light.

Knowing what was happening, Markus' plan was already in play. As the throne room was blasted by light, darkness started to spread, making the Olympians sink into darkness. The only ones not affected were Hades, Poseidon and Demeter. Dozens of red eyes and fanged mouths that turned into grins formed.

Apollo's light was absorbed by the darkness. Markus commanded it to trap him in a cocoon of darkness. Apollo screamed as he was drained, the light and heat leaving his body.

"Apollo!" Artemis screamed. She shot dozens of arrows at Markus, who just liquefied his body, avoiding the damage. Snarling, he moved so quickly that he was in front of the goddess, index finger pointed at her. Artemis couldn't react as a small storm laser produced from his finger pierced her chest, just near where her heart was. Both Artemis and Apollo screamed from their respective pains.

Markus then started to wail on Artemis, beating her black and blue. She tried to fight back, but her injury prevented her from putting up a better fight. A punch to the face sprayed ichor along the floor, knocking her down. Artemis crossed her arms, futilely blocking the rain of blows that Markus was delivering to her. They were so fast and strong that they cracked the floor underneath her. Each blow rattled her skull and made her bleed even more. A kick to the side launched her towards the edge of Olympus.

As the demigod made to advance on her, he dodged attacks from the other gods and returned them in kind. Apollo futilely tried to break free from his prison, but it was pointless. His aura and light had faded, leaving him weak. Satisfied, Markus removed the dark prison from the sun god. Leaving him to collapse in a heap. Moving towards his direction, Markus produced his Chains of Heaven to bound Apollo, leaving him weak and drained.

He then turned to look at Artemis, who now grabbed her bow and summoned arrows to shoot at him. Markus just kept liquefying his body, walking to meet her. When he reached her level, she roared, summoning one of her hunting knives to stab Markus. Like a viper, he grabbed both of her wrists. Then he wrenched the knife out of her hand and stabbed her with it.

She gasped, stumbling back slightly. Her silver eyes went wide with pain. Ichor freely flowed from her wound, falling down to the inky darkness below. Markus looked in her eyes, seeing the pain, the anger. He could kill her easily. He should. He wanted to. But... Markus turned to look at the barrier that contained two Hunters. Two Hunters that would be devastated if their goddess died. He hated Artemis, with every fibre of his being screaming at him to kill her. And yet, he knew that Zoe and Adria cared for her. Despite his misgivings with them, the two Hunters grew on him. Well, Zoe did. Adria was annoying.

With a grunt, he removed the knife from Artemis before she could bleed out even more. He leaned forward, whispering into her ear. "I will not take your life today. Your lieutenant cares for you. She was willing to risk her life to rescue you. I won't let her pain and determination be in vain." With that, he ignored the widening of Artemis' eyes and punched her in the face, knocking her out. He then bound her with his Chains of Heaven, weakening her.

Sighing, Markus cracked his neck. He summoned some water vapour from the air that healed him and restored him to his full strength. He then inspected the Olympians. Dionysus was dead, Apollo and Artemis were knocked out, Ares was dead, Aphrodite was... he growled suddenly. He zipped past the gates of Olympus, searching for someone. A few seconds later, Markus came back, dragging the now ugly goddess of love by the scraps of her straw-like hair. She wailed and cried with each tug, but Markus slapped her, hard.

"Shut. Up," he growled. Aphrodite whimpered, but stayed quiet.

The goddess still looked like a disgusting nightmare. Her lips were still burnt and scarred, her skin cracked and rotten, her face disgusting. Markus guessed that she had tried to use magic to heal the wound, but it had been unsuccessful.

Sneering, Markus threw her towards the standing Olympians. "It's fitting that you have the rest of your own that's still alive with you."

Hera snarled. "You damned monster! We will see to it that you will not live past this day!" Zeus and Athena shared the same sentiment, while Hephaestus grunted.

Markus smiled. No grin, no sneer. Just a small smile. He held up a hand to the sky. "Funny. I was going to say the same thing."

Up in the sky, a black sphere started to form. This sphere - which was actually a condensed gravity field mixed with dark energy - started to groan and form several pieces of earth. It looked like a mud ball, then a massive ball. It kept getting bigger and bigger, until it's size was a fraction of a small planet. Soon enough, it started to glow and shine with heat and light.

Markus' grin couldn't possibly get any wider at the gods' stunned faces. He then turned to Poseidon, Hades and Demeter. "Leave now and take the unconscious Olympians."

"But Markus-" Poseidon started to say, but his son interrupted him.

"Dad, please. This ends now." Bringing his hand down, he called out one of his most powerful spells in his arsenal. "Lunar Devastation."

The false moon that he had created moved at the command of Markus, the gravitational field bending to his command.

Left with no choice, Hades disperses into shadows as Demeter disappears into a flash of light. Sighing, Poseidon vanishes in a cloud of vapour, taking the other unconscious gods with him. That left the rest of the Olympians, Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hephaestus and Aphrodite, to defend the remains of their homes.

Having enough, each god assumes their true forms, their bodies beginning to glow. Markus quickly sent the group in his barrier to the Mirror Dimension, where they'd be safe. The barrier faded as he did so.

He looked upon the gods, his body not disintegrating. He saw that his moon was almost close to the eternal palace.

No words were said between them. Markus summoned all of his power as he was in God Trigger. His body was bathed in an emerald light. He took out Kusanagi from his pocket dimension, the sword wreathed in golden lightning.

The Olympians charged at him, making Markus grin. He went for Aphrodite first, who's face still looked horrific. Not wasting any time, Markus quickly grabbed her face and slammed it down onto the gold floor, hard. The goddess of love was knocked out before she could even use her charmspeak. He didn't know whether it could affect him at full power, and he wasn't willing to find out. He parried Athena's attacks, the contact zapping the goddess of wisdom badly. He quickly brought up his sword to block the warhammer that Hephaestus attacked him with. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that Hera and Zeus were closing in. Snarling, Markus froze Hephaestus in a block of black ice from the waist down. The forge god tried to erupt in flames to melt the ice, but not even a flicker of flame was produced.

Markus slammed Kusanagi onto the ground, slicing through the floor and making lightning travel along the path the two gods took. Hera was too slow to dodge the attack. She screamed as her body was fried from the divine lightning. Zeus, however, was unaffected. He roared, charging forth with his own lightning.

When the sky god was close, he unleashed an electrified punch that would've destroyed Olympus itself, snapping it in half. A powerful explosion was produced from this, the force knocking Athena and Hera away while Hephaestus remained frozen.

Zeus grinned for a moment, feeling victorious... until he felt his fist was being held. Shocked, he was able to see past the dust cloud produced that Markus was still standing, still uninjured... and also holding his fist.

With nought but a twitch, Markus crushed Zeus' fist in his hand. The sound of bones cracking made Zeus grunt. The son of Poseidon kept on putting force, making the god of the sky cry out. Markus looked at Zeus' electric blue eyes and grinned.

"I win," he muttered, just as his false moon impacted the throne room. The force from it shattered the silver gates of Olympus, along with flattening almost every temple on the eternal palace. The minor gods, nymphs and other divine beings on Olympus quickly fled the place for their safety. Most of them tried to investigate what the cause was, only to be blocked by a powerful barrier set in place.

The peaks of the mountains on Olympus shook and shattered as a result of the powerful shockwaves being produced. Gardens became covered in debris and dirt, the force shaking them and definitely ruining the beauty that they once contained.

Down below the Empire State Building, the building rumbled. The security guard who sat at the desk was in a panic, not knowing what to do. The floors from 600 down to 103 shook from the force of the impact. The magic surrounding Olympus did its best to protect the rest of the 102 floors, but it barely managed.

The shockwaves cleared any clouds in the sky and disturbed every cloud and person in the near vicinity. They were almost immediately deafened. All of the windows of several buildings and skyscrapers shattered, making it rain down glass on unsuspecting bystanders. The buildings themselves shuddered, almost collapsing.

Back on Olympus, the throne room was practically destroyed. The thrones were demolished, which had a bad advantage on the gods. The thrones were tied to their powers. If they were destroyed, then the Olympians would be extremely weakened, to the point that they could easily be overwhelmed. Like right now.

Markus stopped vibrating his body, having avoided the damage. Through his hydro-sensing, he could sense that, surprisingly, the Olympians were still alive. If only extremely weakened. Both by the attack and the destruction of their thrones. As he continued sensing where the gods were, he could tell the extent of their injuries. Hephaestus shielded Aphrodite from the attack, taking most of the force. How touching. It seemed that the forge god had a concussion, which wasn't surprising. He was also deeply unconscious, the ichor leaking into and out of his head. Markus didn't know how he was able to overcome the black ice, but he gave points to him. Hephaestus also had broken limbs, half of his body being fractured, bones crushed and body bloodied.

Athena was unconscious as well, her injuries almost as bad as Hephaestus' was. A fragment of Markus' Lunar Devastation lodged itself into her body, killing her slowly. Her skull was also fractured, along with her body being mostly fried from his lightning. Her legs were twisted at an odd angle. She also was lying in a massive pool of ichor, spear and Aegis shield broken.

The worst were Zeus and Hera. Zeus was partially unconscious, his beard and toga looking as if he had taken a bath in ichor. His arm was also twisted at an odd angle, and the rest of his bones had been shattered. He also looked fragile and pathetic, his muscular body turning into sticks of cracked flesh and broken bone. He looked like a beaten, bloody and pathetic homeless person.

Hera was somewhat conscious, though her body was just as broken as Zeus' was. Her toga was ripped in several places, showcasing her broken body. She weakly coughed up ichor, her bones broken in every place as well. Her flawless and immortal beauty had faded also, replaced by an weak and withered woman.

Markus walked forward, intent on ending this. "You know," he said, walking past Hephaestus' and Athena's bodies. "I've seen so much ichor that it's ridiculous. I'm even covered in it." He gestured to his ichor-soaked clothes.

Hera wheezed, not even having enough strength to to glare or insult Markus.

He sighed. "Well, no point stalling." He walked forward to the Queen of Olympus. Hera tried to crawl away, but it was useless. "Bye, bitch. This should be enough to make sure that you _never_ come back."

His Kusanagi sparking and glowing with power, the son of Poseidon stabbed Hera through the heart. The goddess screamed, but futilely did nothing else as her body broke down into particles of light instead of golden dust. Her dead body slid off of the blade, pathetic and weak. It started to wither away, the light particles flying into the air.

Satisfied, he walked forward to the king of the gods. He was on his stomach, coughing and hacking heavily. His bloodshot eyes glared into emerald green.

"Well?" Zeus wheezed, trying to maintain a kingly posture but ultimately failing. "Do it already. End me, you monster. I should've ended you when I had the chance."

Markus grinned. "You should've." Raising his sword high into the air, he brought it down with a swing. However, before he could end it, a flash of light appeared near his vision.

Shocked and furious and against him better judgement, Markus turned to look at the one who was interfering. He paused, looking at three ancient-looking ladies in withered cloaks. They were all glaring at him.

"Markus Henderson," the Three Fates spoke as one, glaring at the demigod. "You have altered fate. This cannot happen."

 **And... FINISHED! Whew!  
**

 **Hope y'all liked the chapter! And if you didn't, it's your loss. Guess Markus' words rang true. Well, partially.**

 **So, few things. One is the fight with Atlas. I know some of you may not have liked the fight, for a number of reasons. And that's fine. I can understand that. It was probably too short, too predictable (that one is pretty obvious), etc. But there's a reason for it. The reason (in my opinion, at least) that it was short was because of Atlas himself. He was boosted to the level of the Big Three, and maybe I didn't show it. But he is, first and foremost, the Titan of _Strength_ and _Endurance_. There'd be no point in pulling out beam-struggles like in DBZ, or other amazing feats of energy blasts or lasers or whatever. What it essentially boiled down to was two combatants who's physical strength was put to the test.**

 **I tried every angle that I could to make it good, possible and somewhat realistic. Atlas wasn't a brainless brute like Heracles. He had been alive for milennia, and was the General in the Titan army. So obviously an enhanced Atlas wasn't something Markus could immediately breeze through from the start. He actually needed to fight properly. In fact, if Atlas hadn't decided to attack the others, then the fight would've probably lasted longer. Until Markus decided he'd need to end it.**

 **And I also hoped that you liked my intro, and my sponsoring Infinity War and Deadpool 2 (awesome movies, by the way. No spoilers to those who haven't watched it... but you really should. In fact, if you haven't already, I'd be really surprised), and the battle music.**

 **Markus met up with Ouranos and briefly had a discussion where Markus was told that Gaia would be rising. He won't tell everyone, only those close to him.**

 **And... uh, what else? Oh, yeah. The killing of the Olympians.**

 **Now, if you didn't like it, fine. You're entitled to your own opinion. If you liked it and thought it was awesome, thank you (also, I took a bit of scenes from Infinity War and put it in the battle). But don't say that you hated it because Markus was OP. Then I'm just going to ignore you. It was implied that he'd kill most of the Olympians and possibly destroy Olympus. He's said it, I've said it - you get the gist.**

 **And the Fates popped up. Well, it was actually obvious that he was going to meet them, since he's been screwing with the canon plot and certain events. All of that will be discussed next chapter.**

 **Now, Guest Reviews:  
**

 **1) Thanks**

 **2) You're welcome**

 **3) (To Apollyon, I will address all of your points in one go, since it'd be tedious to do it for each point)**

 **4) To Silver crow, thanks. I'm glad you like Markus. Calypso and Reyna will be paired with Percy, since he needs some lovin'. As well as Rachel. To be fair and all.**

 **5) To Gin, thanks for the compliment on the chapter, Markus and my story. I'm really grateful.**

 **Now, Apollyon, I shall respond to your points/reviews:**

 **(i) I can understand about your point on the fight last chapter. Everyone loves big kaiju brawls. I love them, you love them. You're not alone, mate. You kind of already did give more info on Toriko, but I love it, and it's been really helpful, so thanks.**

 **(ii) Your points on Silena, Aphrodite, and Piper about the reality-warping idea from Toriko is really good. Hell, the Ouranos/Pontus part is something that I've never thought of (as you pointed out). And the story will extend into HoO. "Conduct of the King - Ultimate Routine" sounds so badass that I think I'd have to do it. Also, thanks for the heads-up on not using the anime counterpart.**

 **(iii) I could add Khione, but it's not a yes. Haven't decided yet. And I agree that your method of her attraction - pet/master relationship - is the best case**

 **(iv) "The Forgotton One" is actually one of my favourite PJO romance fics. The fact that it has Khione makes it more interesting**

 **(v) I do love "Static Shock", so I will take some ideas from it. And you can leave as many review and ideas that you want, and I'll listen. Thanks. And I would like to listen to your 2 ideas about Riptide.**

 **(vi) I did my best with the Atlas fight. Again, sorry if it's not up to your standards, but it was the best that I could do.**

 **(vii) Thanks for your re-edit on "Conduct of the King". I already looked it up, but it's still greatly appreciated.**

 **(viii) Markus will travel to many other dimensions/worlds. Though I'm on the fence about DxD. Not that the idea isn't good, I'm just trying to formulate which worlds and what he'll do in them. Here's the list so far:**

 **One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Justice League/DC universe, Marvel Universe (no MCU, as it basically ties into the same elements), Fate/Stay Night, (possibly) God of War, Asura's Wrath and Attack on Titan.**

 **It's in that order. Again, not saying no to DxD, just need to finalise it.**

 **(ix) That. Idea. Is. AWESOME! Pretty random, but also awesome! I like it!  
**

 **Now, without further ado, I bid all those who reviewed, favourited, followed and read the story a big thumbs-up and lots of love!**

 **Read and Review!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48:**

"What the hell do you mean 'I've altered fate'?" Markus asked, understandably annoyed. After all, he was in the process of killing King Asshole, who still laid on the ground pathetically, and then the fucking Fates pop up, and kill his murder boner. One does not simply kill his murder boner, and walk away. Fuck no.

Each of the Fates narrowed their eyes at him. "The Hunter called Adria was supposed to die in Hephaestus' Junkyard, yet you saved her. Zoe Nightshade was supposed to die at the hands of her father, yet you saved her," the middle Fate said.

"You brought the one called Samael into matters of this quest, along with the Shinto demigods," the third Fate continued. "You killed Luke Castellan before his time, who was essential to the Great Prophecy."

"You have done nothing but brought change to fate. This cannot be allowed," finished the first Fate.

Markus narrowed his eyes at them. "Your point?"

"You will cease your actions or suffer the consequences," they spoke as one. "While some things remain the same, other things have changed. Zoe Nightshade was supposed to die tonight, allowing Thalia Grace to become the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. Your meddling with the Great Prophecy has muddled the future. Perseus Jackson is the prophecy child. His duty was to fulfil the prophecy, but your actions have clouded our sight, made fate uncertain."

Markus almost dropped Kusanagi in shock at the news he had received. Thalia as the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis? No way. She hates the Hunters. Not only that, but she would have to swear an oath to keep away from all boys. Already he was completely against it. And Percy... Percy was going to die to save the world. That would never happen. He didn't care what the Fates said. He didn't care about the world. That was never going to happen.

"No," Markus whispered, then he glared at the Fates. "No! I refuse to let that happen!"

"You have no say in this," the middle Fate spoke, as if it was set in stone. "You cannot fight against Fate. It is impossible."

"I don't care!" Markus roared, Olympus shaking due to his increasing power. "Percy will not die! Thalia will not join the Hunters!"

"You will not stop us," the first Fate retorted, her unwavering face pissing Markus off. "You are nothing more than a child, lashing out at those who hurt you. Your actions are destroying Western civilization! Your senseless killing of the Olympians because of your petty grudge is already affecting the world. Ares' death has thrown the world into chaos. Humans have been killing each other for a long time. They seem to be hard-wired towards violence. Evolution probably ensured that all the non-violent humans did not systematically survive to reproduce. Besides tendency to violence, humans naturally evolved a desire to protect kin, and were expected to fight to protect them. Kin developed into tribes, and then villages, and then eventually nations. Populations can't grow without nourishment and reproduction."

"While Dionysus' death doesn't really affect anything, Hera's death affects marriage around the world," the second Fate spoke this time. "Love between husbands and wives are already suffering. Relationships are being torn apart. If you kill Zeus, Olympus falls with it. Olympus will never be able to recover from this, making it easy for the Crooked One to ensure victory. This must stop now."

Markus snarled at them. "No," he said finally. "I'm doing this. Not only because of the Olympians wronging me, but also for the world. I'm not a revolutionist, or suddenly care for the matters of the world, but even I know that leaving the Olympians in charge will ruin the world. Maybe not now, but their actions will soon come to bite them in the ass." Markus' eyes lit up, and he smiled coldly. "You have just given me a new idea. Who knew that you old hags were good for something after all?"

The Fates narrowed their eyes. "You assume that you can can change fate. How foolish. Your actions are ruining every destiny we have weaved. Fate cannot be changed. We forbid it. None can change their destinies. Percy Jackson will succeed as the child of prophecy. Thalia Grace will join the Hunters, and Zoe Nightshade will die. You cannot stop us. It is not your destiny to kill Zeus. There is no power greater than the sisters of Fate."

The Fates gathered their energy and were prepared to release it upon Markus. "Desist this meaningless rebellion, and accept your fate."

Markus just stared at the Fates, contemplating. It was true, he couldn't fight fate. Many people have tried and failed. What made him so different?

Y _ou share one aspect of the sea that I can respect: the unpredictability of the sea. Just like how the sea changes tides, so too does your future_. Ryūjin's words echoed through his mind, reminding him of his conversation with the dragon god long ago. That was his nature: unpredictability. The sea cannot be contained. Who said that he had to be confined by the boundaries of fate? His very existence defied it. There was no set path for him. His future was his to mold, and no one else could say differently. Not Zeus. Not Kronos. And certainly not the Fates.

Before the Fates could do anything, Markus immediately activated Third Gear and moved almost instantaneously, catching one of the Fates by the throat and pointing the Kusanagi.

"Clotho!" one of the Fates yelled in surprise.

Before the other two could react, he spoke, squeezing Clotho's neck tightly, "You said there is no greater power than the sisters of Fate?" Markus scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. _I_ am above your power. Do you know why? Because it's in my very nature to defy you. My unpredictability is something that you can't account for. You're right, I have altered fate. And I'll keep doing it. My future is my own. My life is what I make it out to be. You have no control over me. Fuck your threads, fuck your words, and most importantly, fuck, you."

"You dare?!" Clotho choked out, struggling to get free. Markus edged his sword closer to her neck.

"You may be the Fates, but I bet you die just like any immortal," Markus muttered. He _so_ wanted to kill the Fates right here and now, but there were two problems. One, he didn't know whether he could win a fight will all three of them. And two, even if he did win and kill them, he didn't know what would happen when he did. The Fates were essential in the cycle of life and watched over the lives of man. The Olympians were one thing, but the Fates? No, it wouldn't do to kill them.

"You are making a terrible mistake, boy," the first Fate spat, furious. "You cannot hope to go against Fate and win."

"Funny," Markus scoffed, smirking. "I've been doing that since I became a demigod, remember? Now, scurry along like the old hags you are, and don't bother me again. Oh, and one more thing." Markus squeezed tighter, making Clotho's pale face turn a sudden shade of gold. "If you interfere with my life, or with my loved ones, or find some way to get back at me, I swear on the Styx that I will find you, and I will butcher you. No more fate, no more destiny."

The sisters screeched in rage, furious with the boy who dare order them, _THEM,_ what to do. The sky boomed, signifying the oath that was made. They could do nothing, however. He held one of their own by the throat. Despite their authority and power, they could still die like any immortal. Granted, they could come back, but then fate would be destroyed and man would be without destiny. That could not be allowed.

Hissing in anger, the two Fates, Lachesis and Atropos, diminished their power. "You have made a grave mistake, Markus Henderson. You may have defied fate today, but do not be complacent. You _will_ suffer for this. No one defies fate."

"Except for me," he quipped, tossing Clotho towards the feet of the other two Fates. Glaring, all three of them vanished in a flash of light.

"Now, where is..." Markus looked down to where Zeus was, only to see an ichor puddle, along with a trail. Looking to where the trail followed, Markus saw Zeus crawl pathetically away. Chuckling, Markus strolled towards the broken god of the sky, reaching up to him easily. He then bent down and grabbed his hair, pulling him upwards to look him in the eye.

"You know, killing you as you are now is pretty... unsatisfying," Markus commented, grinning. "Come on, no arrogant remark, no snark? Make this fun for me!"

Zeus glared with all of the anger and hatred that he could muster. "You will pay for this," he finally retorted. "Even if you kill me, Olympus will not fall today. The remaining Olympians will stand up against you, and you will fall!"

Markus laughed. "And there it is! Defiant till the end. Don't worry, at least when your dead, you'll be remembered as the king of the gods, slain by a mere demigod. Oh, how delightful! Now..."

Markus proceeded to slam Zeus' head on the marble floor, cracking it heavily. The god cried out in pain, his weakened body not able to withstand the pain. A kick to his side sent him flying into the air. Markus vapour-travelled to where Zeus was launched, kicking him downwards and making him land on the cratered ground. Zeus couldn't even recover as Markus slammed his fist into Zeus' gut, making him cough up ichor and crack the ground. "Imma plant me a dumbass tree!" he cried out, grinning. Cracks started spreading across the ground.

Markus then proceeded to step on top of Zeus and stomp down on him. "Got to make sure that the tree gets deep into the soil," he replied, taking absolute joy in his actions. With each stomp, Zeus was dug deeper into the ground.

Done with his stomping, Markus raised his Kusanagi. "Better plant the fertiliser, make sure it gets all the nutrients." He stabbed the god in the chest, the blade sinking into the marble ground with a _squelch_. Ichor poured and pooled across the ground.

Markus bent down, looking down at Zeus. "Well, Zeus. It's been fun, but... ah, fuck it. I've already done my monologue." Taking out the Kusanagi from Zeus' chest, he then proceeded to behead the god king. Zeus' head flew for a bit, and then landed on the ground in a bloody heap, frozen in a horrified expression.

With that, Zeus' beheaded body disappeared in golden dust, and then scattered away, signifying his death.

Markus sighed, dismissing God Trigger, finally relaxing. "Wow, that was a rush!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I felt so alive, so liberated, so... meh, the feeling's gone." It was true. The euphoria and bliss that he felt at finally killing Zeus for what he had done was fading quickly.

He sighed, putting away his Kusanagi. "Well, that was a thing." Markus grinned without humour. "Guess I can proudly wear the title of 'God Slayer' now."

Opening the Mirror Dimension, he saw the others standing there, obviously worried. Once they saw the portal open, they didn't hesitate to run through it, back into the real world. None of them said anything. They just looked around at the remains of Olympus. The destroyed thrones, the scattered central hearth, the ichor splashed all over the place, the fragments of Markus' false moon, everything. It was a sight to behold for them.

What drove the point home for them was the severed head of Zeus. Percy threw up seeing the head while the Hunters were disturbed. Thalia, however, didn't react, only staring at the head of her father.

Markus walked over towards the head, picking it up and sending it away to one of his pocket dimensions. He then turned to look as the others approached him.

"So," Thalia finally said, getting the disturbing image out of her head, "it's finally over."

"Yeah," Markus nodded. "It is."

"Which gods did you... kill?" Percy asked, looking a little queasy.

"Dionysus, Hera and Zeus," Markus listed off, frowning. "Athena, Hephaestus and Aphrodite are... somewhere. Apollo and Artemis were spared. Dad, Hades and Demeter fled. Huh, for a God Slayer, I really didn't kill that many gods. Only five so far."

"You spared Lady Artemis?" Zoe questioned, puzzled but relieved. "Why?"

Markus scowled, not wanting to admit his reason. "I spared her on a whim. She was already defeated, it'd be pointless to kill her while she was broken."

Not one of them believed a word that he had said. But they didn't call him out for it.

"Huh," Percy said, looking over the destruction. "All of this, and you only killed three gods? Really?"

"Yes," Markus said, frowning. "I said I'd kill the ones who wronged me. Granted, Hera didn't do anything to me, but... well, she was the only one I wouldn't feel guilty for and could kill. Hell, it's like you expected me to destroy the world or something."

"Well," Percy muttered, waving his hand in an 'iffy' gesture.

"Wow. In case you forgot, I _live_ in the world as well. And even if I did destroy the world, I'd destroy the simple pleasures. Like pizza, music, video games... oh, and you guys as well."

"Glad to know that we're at the bottom of your 'simple pleasures'," Thalia muttered sarcastically, crossing her arms.

Markus wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that." Then he flinched, suddenly remember the words that the Fates had spoken.

"What? What is it?" Thalia asked, seeing his flinch.

"Uh... I... have something to tell you." And with that, he told them of what transpired between him and the Fates. When he was finished, all of them looked at him in shock, surprise and horror.

Percy and Thalia stared at him, digesting the information. "S-So, I'm not the prophecy child. Percy is," Thalia said, feeling a mixture of confusion, relief and horror at the same time. "But why? My birthday is tomorrow."

"I think it has to do with your time as a tree," Markus answered, getting looks of confusion. "Think about it: you'd be sixteen _physically_ tomorrow, but chronologically, you'd be... what, nineteen?" At her hesitant nod, he continued. "So maybe the prophecy would consider you to be too old to take on the prophecy."

With that, Thalia nodded. Markus then turned to Percy, who looked like he was going to have a panic attack. He could understand why. When both of them found out about the prophecy, they assumed that Markus was the one the prophecy spoke about. When Thalia came, she was assumed the prophecy child. Now, the Fates themselves told Markus that it was Percy all along.

Markus walked towards Percy, putting both hands on his shoulders to get his attention. "Percy," he said gently, "you aren't going to die. I won't let you."

"But the Fates-" "I don't care _what_ the Fates say. I'll screw whatever plan they have up, and make sure that you don't die. I swear on the River Styx."

Thunder boomed, signifying the oath. The others looked at Markus, wide-eyed.

"Markus, you can't do that!" Percy said frantically. "You don't know whether I'll die or not-"

"I don't care," Markus repeated, looking at Percy deeply into his eyes. "You are my brother. That's more than enough reason to screw the Fates over. I don't care if I have to destroy the heavens, the earth, or the Underworld. I will do _anything_ to save you. To save any of you. So trust me when I say this: I will make sure that you do not die."

All of them were stunned at the conviction in his words. They knew that he cared deeply for his loved ones, but to hear the love, the power, in his tone shook them to the core. All of them now knew how far Markus would go to save them.

Percy was relieved. Logically, he knew that - despite what Markus said - there was still a good chance of his death if the Fates permitted it. But hearing that Markus practically gave the middle finger to fate made him more hopeful and confident in his chances of survival.

"Uh, not to interrupt your moment, but what about the other things the Fates said?" Thalia said, getting their attention. "Like me becoming the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis?" She made a face at that. While Zoe had a resigned look on her face, Adria was on the fence with the decision.

Markus made a sad face. "Why, Thalia. Do I disgust you _that_ much? That you would join the Hunters of Artemis? Oh, woe is me." Markus made a show of fainting dramatically.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Shut up. You know it's not like that."

"Oh, my male pride! I'm wounded! It feels like an arrow through my heart!"

"Is a spot still available?" Thalia jokingly asked Zoe. "I think I may take up that offer."

Zoe's lips quirked up in a slight smile. "Maybe. I would not be opposed in thy decision."

Markus leaned on Percy and cried dramatically. Percy patted him on the back, rolling his eyes. "There, there."

The Hunters and Thalia laughed at this, making the boys laugh as well. The atmosphere was light for a moment, the tension from the bleak news being pushed away for a moment. Then Percy had a slight ADHD thought.

"Uh, where are the other gods?" he asked, curious.

Markus frowned slightly. "Dad probably went to Atlantis. I don't know about Demeter, but Hades went to the Underworld. The rest of the gods I'm not sure about."

"Should we... you know, call them?" Thalia asked. "We can't just leave Olympus like this."

Markus sighed. "Unfortunately, you're right."

"I am?" "She is?" Thalia and the others asked, stumped. They expected him to say no and just leave, but they were surprised at him actually agreeing.

"Of course I am," Thalia nodded. But then she frowned. "But why are you agreeing?"

Markus had a contemplative look on his face. "Simple. The Olympians need to clean up their mess. And I have a perfect way to do it."

Ignoring their confused looks, Markus summoned some water from the Vερό runes on his palms (that he still had, by the way) and coalesced to form a mirror. The figure appearing in the mirror was Poseidon, sitting on his throne. His expression was a mixture of worry, sadness and guilt.

"Dad," Markus called through the mirror.

Poseidon quickly looked up, seeing his son, alive. "Markus! Are you alright?! What happened?! Are you-"

"Woah, woah! Dad, I'm fine," Markus quickly said, calming him down. "I'm alive. I'm fine."

"So Zeus is... dead?" Here, the god looked sad, guilt creeping up on his face. Markus understood why. Zeus, despite his flaws, was his brother. He may have been a pain in the ass, but he was family. Markus felt the need to apologise, and then ruthlessly crushed it.

"Yes. Along with Hera. Athena, Hephaestus and Aphrodite were spared. Dad, I know I'm asking a lot, but I need you to do something for me."

Poseidon sighed. "What is it?"

"Bring the other gods back to Olympus and contact Hades and Demeter. There's something that needs to be done."

Poseidon looked like he was about to argue, but he didn't question him. He sighed, giving into his son's demand. "Alright."

"Thanks, Dad," Markus' face brightened a little. "I'll owe you for all this, I promise." With a wave, the mirror disappeared.

"What do thou plan to do now?" Zoe asked, slightly curious, yet afraid. When Markus made decisions, they usually caused mass destruction or killing people. So she was right to be cautious.

Markus smiled thinly. "Something that might fix things."

"Do we get to know what it is?" Adria asked, annoyed.

Markus only kept smiling, which didn't seem to answer her question.

Soon, blinding flashes appeared across Olympus. Appearing from these flashes were Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hermes and Apollo holding an unconscious Artemis. Of the gods, Demeter and Apollo were the only gods who glared upon seeing a destroyed Olympus and at Markus. They probably already knew the aftermath of the battle, but didn't want to admit it.

Poseidon turned to Hermes, who looked to be fairly healed. "Hermes, locate the remaining Olympians and bring them here."

"But-" "Please," Poseidon pleaded, desperation in his eyes. He could tell that Hermes was hurting but they could grieve later.

Nodding slowly, Hermes went at a slight jog towards the exit, leaving a group of partially wounded gods and demigods in an awkward situation.

"Uh, hey, dad," Percy was the one to speak first, trying to break the silence. "Uh, how are you?"

Markus and Thalia facepalmed while Zoe and Adria looked incredulously at him. The gods just looked at him. Even Apollo wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

Hades turned towards Poseidon. "Why is it that you are able to produce two demigods that are so unalike? One is somewhat likeable, while the other is an idiot."

"... Shut up, Hades," Poseidon muttered as Markus chuckled while Percy called out, "Hey!"

Demeter merely sniffed, not even bothering to comment while Apollo grunted, glaring at Markus.

Hermes came back, carrying some gods with him. Hephaestus and Athena were on his shoulders. Aphrodite stumbled in, making disgusted looks appear on the faces of most of the gods. Markus grinned at seeing that.

Hephaestus merely grunted at the sight of Markus while Athena glared heavily at him. Markus ignored the looks and looked at the remaining gods. Sighing, he stepped up and spoke. "Okay, I'm just going to get straight into it: I killed Zeus, Hera, Dionysus and Ares. There were several reasons for this; largely because I hold a grudge against two of them, and the other two I did because."

The gods were shocked at his blunt speech. Apollo growled. "You think that just because you admitted to what you've done, that-"

" **Shut up** ," Markus interrupted, voice tinted with so much bloodlust that Apollo paused, looking weary. Sighing, he continued speaking.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness. Frankly, I don't care. I've done what I've did. I'm not ashamed about it. I feel quite happy, actually. But that's not the point." Any mirth on his face was wiped away from his next words. "Kronos is rising. I don't care if you deny the fact, run from it, dread it, whatever. He's coming, and that's the truth. Now, some of you already know this. Which is good. However, what I'm trying to get to sink into your heads is the fact that, if he rises, there is a great chance that you will lose."

Every eye was on him. Markus internally grimaced. He wasn't any good with talking to crowds. He just got shit done. Nevertheless, he had to speak about this.

"This is because of two major disadvantages that I personally believe is all your fault: Zeus' blatant ignorance and your arrogance. One problem has been solved already, now it's time for the other. What I mean by this is that, because of your actions, both demigods and minor gods are being affected. The demigods because of your Ancient Laws, and the fact that you forget some of them." At the guilty look on most of the gods' faces, he continued. "This doesn't mean that you all are at fault, though. Just the majority. This can be solved easily: talk to your kids. Spend some time with them. Try to find loopholes. Do _something_. Because you are going to lose all your support from the demigods and fight this war all by yourself. And before any of you get arrogant and claim that you don't need the aid of 'pathetic' mortals, think about the Great Prophecy. Think about quests undertaken by demigods that have actually not caused you guys to suffer. Zeus' bolt, retrieved by demigods. The Golden Fleece, retrieved by demigods. Freeing Artemis, done by _us_."

Markus' voice gained a certain volume, a certain strength to it. "As much as none of you like it, we demigods have basically been doing your work and wiping your asses for you. I bet that you guys wouldn't even be here today if not for the mortals that you sleep with, and us demigods. After all, who would believe in you? You would be forgotten, an entire pantheon, on the brink of fading away, if not for the mortals that you so eagerly dismiss. My point, in all this, is that you need us, just as much as some demigods need you. We are essential, to your survival. The minor gods are also important." Here, Markus had a deep frown on his face, almost snarling. "You dismiss them so easily because you are all _Olympian_ _s._ " The word 'Olympians' was spoken with venom. "That is stupid. Just because you are Olympians doesn't make you better, more powerful, or more important than the other non-Olympians. Hestia is the eldest of the children of Kronos and Rhea. She surpasses practically all of you in terms of seniority, wisdom and power. And yet she is cast away. She willingly gave up her place of power for a useless, pathetic _drunkard_."

Markus pointed at Hades, who looked surprised at being pointed at. "Hades has control over the Underworld. He never wanted the position. He was practically forced by Zeus. Yet he has proven to be good at his job. Petty, he may be-" Hades scowled at that "-but he is at least fair. For there is no fairer judgement than death. Being fair is something that you all fall short of. This whole spiel is basically to pound in the facts into your thick skulls: treat your kids like actually decent beings, give the other non-Olympians the respect they actually deserve, clean up and take care of your shit, or you will fight this war on your own."

"What do you mean by that?" Athena asked, her anger fading away to curiosity.

Markus smiled. He raised his left arm. Near his wrist was a bunch of squiggles and swirls that looked like gibberish. Upon Markus activating it, the figure became red, burning into his skin. Immediately, Percy's, Thalia's, Adria's and Zoe's wrists burned, making some cry out while others inspected their left arms. There, just near their wrists, was the same figures on Markus' wrist.

Each and every one of them were unnerved by his smile, even though it was simple in nature. "This is a fūinjutsu, or sealing technique, that I was able to create. I won't go too much into details, but the general gist of this seal is that it is a space-time technique that transports whomever holds this to a place that I created. Where that place is, you won't know. Just know it'll be a place of that only I know, outside of your sight. So here's my ultimatum: if you don't comply to my demands, not only will you lose this war, but I will transport myself, Percy, Thalia, Zoe, Adria, and the rest of Camp Half-Blood to this place, where they will never return to camp, and you will be abandoned."

The Olympians weren't the only ones shocked by this ploy, the others were shocked also. Thalia stepped up to him and grabbed his shoulder, getting his attention. "And when did you decide to _tell_ us about this?" she asked harshly, annoyed.

Markus managed a smile. "I told you I had a backup plan, remember?"

Thalia scrunched face in confusion, then suddenly remembered. "That... this was-"

"My plan," he finished, turning to the gods.

"When, I mean, how-" Poseidon was stumped at the decision his son was making. He was essentially saying 'comply, or be abandoned to fight.' "Son, why-"

"You _know_ why, Dad," Markus interrupted, looking at him and the gods.

"You're bluffing," Athena finally called out, getting incredulous looks from the gods and demigods. "There's no way you would abandon us. If you do that, Kronos will have defeated us, and then ravage the world in search of all the demigods, satyrs, nymphs and other gods. Not to mention that not everyone would agree with your demands or ideals. It is as I said, you're bluffing." She had a triumphant look on her face, as if she knew that she was right.

Markus' grin became wider. "Well, Athena. You _would_ be correct... if I was to a) care about what happens to the world. And b) listen to opinions of the others. In which case, I don't and won't." Markus enjoyed the goddess' triumphant look morph to shock and horror.

Now the gods were understanding the situation at hand. Either they comply, claim their children and offer respect to the minor gods, or be left alone to fight a war they couldn't win. Their king and queen were dead, along with Ares and Dionysus. while the latter two weren't important in the grand scheme of things, their numbers had been decreased significantly. Againt Kronos, the Titans, armies of monsters and other unknown variables, all without any demigods? They wouldn't stand a chance.

"And just to make sure that you know I mean business..." Markus conjured up water to form a mirror, forming Chiron at Camp Half-Blood.

The centaur blinked. "M-Markus! Are you all alright?! Have you completed the que-"

"Chiron," Markus interrupted abruptly. "I still don't forgive you for what you did, and I'm not here for a visit. I'm just calling to ask; do all half-bloods and nymphs have red markings on your wrists?"

Chiron blinked, looking a mix of sad and shocked. "Actually, yes. The half-bloods, even myself, have all noticed these red bands of markings on our wrists. We don't know what they are, or where they've come from, and we cannot get them to go away. But, why-"

"That's all I needed to know." With that, Markus cancelled the water mirror, the image of Chiron fading away. He then looked at the pale and fearful gods. "I believe this is the part where I win. Again."

"... You, you... had this planned," Athena managed to get out. "All along, you planned to do this."

Markus' grin couldn't have gotten any wider, answering Athena's question. "You still haven't answered my question. Do you agree to my terms, or not?"

"You can't do this!" Apollo was the one to protest, heat and light weakly spilling from his body. "You can't kidnap our children and-and force us into your demands!"

Markus' grin disappeared instantly, scaring the gods and demigods. "I can't force you," he repeated, his venomous emerald green eyes boring into the frightened ones of the gods. "I can't force you?!" Power poured from his body in rage, pushing the demigods and demi-Titan back. The gods were also pushed back by this. "How about how you've forced demigods to go on stupid quests for you, just to increase your egos or wipe your asses?! How about how you force mortals to bow to your whims and demands or suffer?! Simply because they said no?! None of you get the right to complain! NONE OF YOU!"

Just as if more power was going to spill out from him, he took a deep breath and calmed down. His power output disappeared, as if it had never appeared. The demigods and demi-Titan stood, getting their bearings back.

"To answer your response," Markus spoke with a strained tone, looking at a frightened Apollo, "I can and I will. You want to survive? You want to not be suffering under imprisonment for millennia? All you have to do is agree to my demands. Treat the demigods like your actual children, respect every and all decent non-Olympian, not make any more messes due to your egos, etc. Also, allow Hestia and Hades the positions of Olympians. You're going to need it, since your numbers are cut down. Plus, they'll get the respect they deserve." Seeing their stunned faces, he rolled his eyes. "Well, go on. You know what to do. Oh, and also, make sure to swear on the River Styx."

They were silent for a moment, but then Poseidon stepped forward. "I swear that-"

"Stop," Markus interrupted, frowning in thought. "It's just occurred to me that everyone in this family has a problem with oaths on the River Styx. Namely, you mostly break them. And while my awesome self, my badass girlfriend and dimwitted brother are good results from these oaths-" Thalia grinned while Percy scowled at Markus "-the point still stands. Although I don't regret those broken oaths. So, swear on the Styx _and_ your title as an Olympian and god of your own domain."

Markus added that last part to make sure the gods would follow their oath. For a god to swear on their title and domain meant that - to against it - would be stripping yourself of all that made you _you._ Every experience, every ounce of power, relied on keeping this oath. You literally couldn't break this oath, because it relied on your very _being_. On the off chance that this oath was broken, a god's being would fight against itself, ultimately destroying a person and causing them to fade. That was why it was essential for gods to keep those kind of oaths. To mortals, it didn't mean that much when broken, since they had no domain or power over something.

Swallowing again, Poseidon spoke this time. "I, Poseidon, god of the seas, the Earthshaker and Stormbringer, swear on the Styx and my title as an Olympian and King of the Seas to uphold the oath my son, Markus Henderson has issued."

Poseidon glowed with an unearthly light, the sky booming in correspondence to this.

The gods repeated the lines, adding their own titles and domains into it. The sky boomed continuously, the sound ringing in everyone's ears.

Nodding, Markus smiled, making the seals on his and the others' arms go back to normal. "Then we have a deal. Olympus will be repaired, and then you guys can think of a way to rally your forces and think of strategies for the war. Camp Half-Blood will do the same." With that, Markus turned and walked towards the others, planning to vapour-travel them to camp.

"Wait!" Athena called out, making Markus turn towards her, eyebrow raised. "How do you expect us to repair Olympus? While we could do it, we ourselves are injured. We can't immediately set up plans if we ourselves aren't stable."

Markus nodded slowly, digesting the information. Athena's point had merit. He smiled, recalling an idea. "I know a girl. She's been eager for an opportunity like this. I'm sure you know of her." With the suggestive look in his eyes, Athena's own eyes widened, knowing who he was talking about.

With that, Markus and the others vapour-travelled to camp.

 **XXX**

The group appeared at Half-Blood in a cloud of vapour. Seeing the Golden Fleece on the pine tree, Markus, Thalia and Percy were glad to see camp again.

Chiron greeted them at the Big House with hot chocolate and toasted cheese sandwiches. Though when he asked Markus why he called him and asked about the red markings, Markus told him not to worry about it. Chiron was annoyed, but gave up after Markus continued to not answer any questions.

Markus, Zoe, Adria, Thalia and Percy sat with Chiron and some of the other senior campers; Beckendorf, Silena (who came up to Markus and gave him a big hug followed by a small kiss on the cheek, something that confused others), Katie (who also did the same thing and got more confused looks), Annabeth - who hugged Thalia, Markus and Percy. The latter two seeing her blush - and the Stoll brothers. Even Clarisse from the Ares cabin was there, back from her secretive scouting mission. They figured she must've had a difficult quest, because she seemed quieter, not her usual self. She had a new scar on her chin, and her dirty blond hair had been cut short and ragged, like someone had attacked it with a pair of safety scissors. She just slumped in his chair next to Silena with a pained expression, who looked at her with a concerned look on her face.

"First off, I would like to congratulate the group that saved Artemis," Chiron said to questers. "Without you, we would've already been at war with the Titans." The group smile at each other. They are glad they delayed the war, enough that they could prepare themselves for battle. They shared glances, though. They weren't sure if they should discuss what went on at Olympus, but decided to keep it to themselves until the gods sorted themselves out.

"Is there anything else to report?" Chiron asked.

Markus stepped forward. "Luke is dead." With that statement, everyone stopped chatting and looked at him, shocked. Annabeth looked like someone sucker-punched her in the gut.

"How did he die?" Chiron asked, a sorrowful look on his face. The news seemed to weigh on him quite a bit.

While Thalia had a sad look on her face, Percy's, Zoe's and Adria's expressions didn't falter. In fact, out of everyone in the room, only the Stolls and Annabeth were the ones upset about the news.

"I killed him," Markus answered simply. Gasps rang across the room as they digested the news. Chiron had a small mournful look on his face.

"Markus, you-" "Chiron," Markus interrupted, glaring. "If those next words are about how I should have spared him or captured him, then I'll just leave." Chiron stopped. "Luke was a traitor. With his death, Kronos' plans are derailed. It was obvious that Kronos had high hopes for him. With him dead, he'll be hesitant, weary, clumsy. We can use that."

"But why?" Annabeth quietly asked, although her voice was heard by everyone. "Why couldn't you capture him, bring him to Olympus and-"

"Because he was a traitor," Markus repeated slowly, annoyance written across his face. "Annabeth, you knew that. Everyone did."

"You didn't have to kill him!" Annabeth now yelled, tears falling slowly down her face.

"Yes, I did," Markus calmly replied, now angry at the fact that Annabeth _still_ had feelings for Luke, even when he turned traitor. "Let me ask you something, Annabeth: do you think Luke would've offered you the same sentiment? No, he wouldn't. He would've captured you, tortured you for information, and then killed you."

"You don't know that!" she sobbed. Thalia went over to her and comforted her, hugging her tightly. Thalia shook her head towards Markus, but he wasn't finished.

"Yes, I do," Markus replied, his tone merciless. "Face the facts, Annabeth. Luke. Is. Dead. He's not coming back, he's not going to reform. He's gone."

Annabeth sobbed even harder, muttering out denials. Thalia took her outside, glaring at Markus. His face didn't even shift.

When Chiron looked to admonish him, Markus retorted, "Chiron, no. She needed to hear the truth and forget that there was any chance Luke was coming back. He wasn't. Now, can we please move on?"

Sighing, Chiron nodded. "There is the matter of Thalia turning sixteen tomorrow-"

"Actually, that's already been taken care of," Markus said, scowling.

"How?" Beckendorf asked. The others looked curious as well.

Markus clenched his jaw, while Percy looked slightly sick. "Thalia is chronologically nineteen years old. She's too old for the prophecy, even though she's physically sixteen tomorrow. I'm sure the prophecy is for either me or Percy."

"But how do you know?" Travis Stoll asked, curious.

There was anger in his eyes, something that everyone could see. "Call it a gut feeling," he bit out, not in the mood to divulge why. Fortunately, everyone saw this, and let the matter go.

"Well," Chiron said finally. "We still have a year or two until the Second Titan War. Kronos' first strike will be here, I'm sure of it." Here Chiron went for a smile. "And on that happy note, meeting adjourned."

The demigods shuffled out of their seats, going their separate ways. Markus caught the eyes of Silena and Katie, and he smiled.

 **XXX**

Markus pushed Katie against the wall of the Demeter cabin, kissing her gently. The daughter of Demeter reciprocated the action, hands trailing across his body. Markus did the same thing, resting his hands on her hips and squeezing them. As he kept kissing her, Markus was able to get the scent of greenery in his nose. Like walking through a meadow filled with fresh trees and flowers. The scent was driving Markus crazy, making him deepen the kiss.

Katie was quickly getting overwhelmed, so she sucked on his bottom lip and grabbed the front of his jeans and his cock. Markus visibly shivered, allowing Katie to take control. Pretty soon, the two had to separate due to air.

Markus panted slightly. "I've wanted to do that for a while."

Katie grinned widely. "You and me both."

Before Markus could move, vines sprouted from the ground and wrapped themselves around his wrists, pulling them down. Markus frowned, pulling at them. He could easily break out of them, but he decided to wait, see where Katie was going.

Katie's grin became wider. "My, my," she said, walking around and inspecting him like a prize. "You know, this is something that I wanted to come true."

"What, me tied up, vulnerable to your carnal desires?" Markus asked, grinning slightly.

"Exactly," Katie answered, ready to begin. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Growling, she stomped forward towards the door, ready to offer whoever was at the door to a Venus flytrap. When she opened the door, she saw that it was Silena. Her annoyed expression turned into an excited one. "Silena! Good, you're here!"

Now, Markus was slightly worried and excited at the same time. Two of his girlfriends stood before him, while he was bound by vines. He both dreaded looked forward to this.

Silena walked through, eyes lighting up at the sight of Markus tied up. "Ooh, la, la! Oh, this is going to be so exciting!"

"... Silena, babe, you're scaring me," Markus managed to speak, slightly scared.

"But that's the point," she said. Turning towards Katie, she nodded. Then she walked towards him, hips swaying. Markus took careful notice of the fact. Like Katie, Silena then proceeded to walk around Markus, still swaying her hips. Markus craned his neck to take a look at her glorious ass, but a tug from the vines stopped him. Markus glared at Katie, who shrugged.

A finger trailed across his jaw, lifting his face upwards to look at Silena, who was no behind him. She bent down, kissing him. Markus reciprocated, feeling hands lift up his shirt and roam across his body. He groaned, deepening the kiss, only for Silena to end it. This left Markus weakly pushing his head forward, trying to find her lips. She giggled, standing up straight and kneeling down in front of him, joining Katie in kissing him.

Markus was enjoying himself immensely, despite the situation that he was in. After all the drama and killing from the quest, it was nice to relax, rest... and enjoy having his girlfriends pleasure him. It was good to be him.

 **Done. Wow, it has been a while since I've written a chapter for this story.**

 **Sorry if it's lackluster, but this is the end of Titan's Curse. Not really much to add, anyways.**

 **Next chapter won't be a lemon, don't worry. Reason being, I want to have lemons for the girls individually, before going into anything more. Might take a while, but that's how it is. I only ended it on this scene because both Markus and Katie deserved a reward. Oh, and Katie's officially joined the harem... YAYYY! FINALLY!**

 **So, Markus has defied the Fates - pretty much what everyone was expecting - and found out that Percy is the prophecy child. Along with that, killed Zeus, threatened and bargained with the Olympians, and have gone back to camp. Markus' plan was something that was mentioned in chapter 43, I just didn't say which. It's been something that he's been planning since he came back from his training trip. Nice twist, if I do say so myself.**

 **Just note, since I'm at the end of Titan's Curse, I'm bringing up a question I asked about making a sequel to this or continuing on. This chapter just feels like the one that I could finish a story on and make a sequel. If I do make a sequel, next chapter will just be an update saying that it's up or not. If I don't, I'll just continue like normal.**

 **After this chapter, it'll just be filler/side quest/bonding chapters. Something I'm actually really looking forward to. Got a bunch of stuff planned. Oh, and Camp Half-Blood will find out about the deaths of Ares, Dionysus, Hera and Zeus next chapter. I can picture the chaos that would occur due to that.**

 **Now, review time:**

 **1) As you've seen, the Fates can't do shit to Markus. It probably would be funny for him to call his student 'Boy'. It'd be funny every time. And the Kamui idea is interesting, though since he can phase his body and turn into water, it'd be kinda redundant. But I will think about it, don't worry. Your last point is also a good idea.**

 **2) That is good idea. Also, thanks**

 **3) I can understand your point. The only reason Markus seems OP (and he is) is because I haven't introduced characters that could soundly beat him. I even have each scene and battle planned out. I thank you for making the point. I know you don't mean to bash, your point has merit. Hopefully, I can save the story and make it interesting and not make it too cliche.**

 **4) Thanks**

 **5) Awesome idea for Riptide, Apollyon. I do like the extra tidbit on Toriko. Already watched JoJo, but still appreciate the comment. Maybe add that stuff later on in the story. Love the points that you made as well. As for the Ophiotaurus, I'm leaning towards Kronos stealing the serpent-bull (it'll be explained how later on) and using it for himself. He's going to need it. As for the idea on the DxD comment, (I think I did reply to you about that. Sorry if I didn't) love the ideas on the Sacred Gear, setting and Markus' title. Oh, and I searched up the Heavy Weather bit. Really cool, thanks. Thanks for the Toriko grim bit, also good heads-up on the anime, I needed it. I can see what you're talking about with the DBZ evolution bit, and I might think of him meeting Arale. Markus has a copy of Yamato, not the original. But he will go dimension-travelling later on. I agree with you on the DBZ evolution bit, parts of it was good, others... eh. And I already know about Death Battle. Might study it a bit for the DC bit. My favourites are Dante vs. Bayonetta, Hulk vs Doomsday and Vergil vs Sephiroth. And you're right about Typhon, Markus can't defeat him as of yet.**

 **6) I don't know Spanish, so I don't know what you're saying. Sorry.**

 **7) Thanks.**

 **8) To Anti, thanks.**

 **9) Again, dunno Spanish.**

 **10) Updating now.**

 **Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story, along with my others. Love all of you, seriously.**

 **Read and Review!**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49:**

Markus had woken up pretty early, much earlier than any of the other campers. After his... 'activities', he was surprised that he even woke up pretty early. He crept silently, not wanting to wake anyone up as he walked towards the pier. He watched the rising sun with a small serene expression on his face. This... was definitely what he needed. While he and the others had arrived safely to Camp Half-Blood, the drama of their quest still clung to him. So he decided to go towards the pier, letting the ocean calm him down.

And it was working. He breathed in the ocean scent, feeling right at home. Just as he was about to fully relax, he felt someone approach. Turning, he saw that it was Zoe. She wore her usual silver attire with her cloak hood up, slightly obscuring her features. Her face held a neutral expression, which Markus found odd. When she looked at him, he'd expected her to either lash out in anger or something. But he couldn't seem to get a read on the Hunter.

The two stood in silence for a few moments, before Markus spoke. "I thought that the Hunters would've left by now. Don't think you'd like any _boys_ contaminating your presence."

Zoe turned to look at him, frowning. "Lady Artemis has yet to arrive," she said.

Markus nodded, humming. "I thought that you'd be angry at me, after all I've done."

"Oh, I am," Zoe nodded in response. "I am fuming at you. I still feel like killing you... only I don't." She turned to look at him. "Why did you spare Lady Artemis?"

Markus sighed, knowing that lying wouldn't get him anywhere. "I did it... because of you and Adria." Turning to see that she had an eyebrow raised, he continued. "I could see how much you desperately wanted to save Artemis. You stopped at nothing to save her from Atlas. I didn't want to take away the person that you fought so hard for, and cared for."

Zoe continued to look at his face, as if searching for something. Finally, she said, "Thou are an enigma to me, Markus Henderson. Part of me wants to kill you, and yet... a part of me doesn't. I admit, I am struggling to decide on which side to settle on."

"Pick the 'wanting to kill me' side," Markus offered with a smile. "It's much easier. I mean I have."

Zoe smiled. An actual smile. "If that is easier."

The two continued to stare off across the ocean. There was another comfortable silence between them for a moment, before Zoe spoke again.

"I am not happy with how thou did things on Olympus," Zoe started, looking at him in the eyes. "But I do appreciate the results. Maybe this war will not be lost."

Markus nodded. "It needed to happen." He thought about what he wanted to ask Zoe. "Are you going to tell anyone about your heritage?" Seeing Zoe's shoulders slump, he sighed. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Do it when you're ready. And don't worry, I or the others won't tell anyone of your heritage unless you deem it okay. And remember," Markus smiled a little, "it doesn't change how I look at you. You're still a bitch to me, Zoe. But you're loyal to the Hunt and Artemis. I respect that."

Zoe looked at Markus, before smiling again. "And thou are still an arrogant pig. But... you're a slightly decent male. Probably the only one I can tolerate."

"... You've been smiling a lot. You sure you're alright?"

Zoe sighed. "And my respect for thou had gone." Markus chuckled. He raised his hand and clicked his fingers, confusing Zoe. He sighed. "I've lifted the curse I placed on the Hunters. Their tattoo will disappear when they've healed it properly."

Zoe smiled again. "As the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, I thank thou Markus Henderson, son of Poseidon," she said, offering her hand to him. "On behalf of the Hunters, thank you for saving my Lady. If you ever need my bows or blades, ask and thou shall have it."

Markus smiled, taking her hand. "You're welcome, Zoe Nightshade of the Hunt. If you ever need my help, ask and you also shall have it. And whenever you're in a bind..." he gestured towards the seal on Zoe's wrist "... think of me and I'll be there."

Nodding towards each other, the two parted ways, Zoe to the Hunters and Markus out of camp.

 **XXX**

Thalia yawned as she got out of bed, scratching her now scattered hair. "Should've kept it short," she grumbled.

She got out of bed, ignoring the shattered statue of Zeus that was now rubble. Ever since Markus killed Zeus, the cabin had seemed much colder, as if the power had been sucked out of it. Truthfully, she wasn't bothered by this, especially the statue being destroyed. What teenage girl wanted a statue of their father where they slept?

She got changed and dressed into her usual leather jacket and ripped jeans. She rubbed her eyes, getting the sleep out of them. Comforting Annabeth had taken a lot out of her. The poor girl was crying into her pillow, still refusing to accept Luke's death. While she agreed that Annabeth needed to get over Luke, Markus could've at least delivered it a little easier. Eventually, she had to leave her to Malcolm, who promised to look after her. Something she was grateful for.

As she opened her cabin door, suddenly voices screamed out, "SURPRISE!"

Thalia jumped, about to pull out her weapons when she saw who was in front of her cabin; Percy, Annabeth, Grover (who had an eyepatch and was covered in bandages), Silena, Katie, the Stoll brothers, Will, Beckendorf, Castor and Pollux.

Thalia blinked, staring at her grinning friends. "Uh, guys? What's going on?"

"Don't tell me you forgot," Percy said as everyone chuckled.

"Forgot wha- oh..." She suddenly remembered. It was her birthday.

"Finally, you remembered," Annabeth croaked, eyes red from crying. Nevertheless, she still smiled at Thalia.

"Y-You guys remembered..." Thalia felt a well of emotion in her chest, doing her best to stop from crying. "B-But how? Annie, I know. But the others-"

"That'd be because of me, princess," Markus' voice called out as the others parted. Markus walked through the crowd, holding a blue and white cake with sixteen candles on it that were alight. Written across it were the words were 'Happy Birthday, Thalia!' with blue frosting. There were several designs of lightning bolts across it and the names of several bands she liked.

Thalia smiled widely as Markus presented the cake. He grinned as everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. At the moment, she didn't mind the tears the fell down from her eyes. It had been so long since she had celebrated her birthday. Usually, she would celebrate it with Annabeth and Luke while on the streets, eating some burgers. Now, she could celebrate it with her friends. And her amazing boyfriend.

The group finished singing as Thalia blew out the candles, making everyone cheer.

"Okay, enough clapping," Percy announced. "Let's eat!"

"You're only saying that because there's blue in it, Blue Boy," Markus said, but smiled. Pretty soon, the Zeus cabin was filled with campers. The group ignored the destroyed statue of Zeus (though some did question it). The girls and boys separated, with the girls gossiping and the boys staying to the side, doing their own version of gossiping.

Markus helped serve the cake as Thalia smiled at him. "Did you make this?"

Markus smiled. "Yeah. I had to run to Percy's mum's apartment. Turns out that she's awesome at making cakes. Though I kept on adding blue to everything time, so there was that."

Thalia leaned forward and kissed Markus on the lips, drawing some gasps from the others watching. "Thank you, Markus. This is honestly the best birthday I've ever had."

Markus scoffed. "Woman, the day is just starting. You'll love it, trust me."

"Right," Thalia grinned. "There's Green Day."

"Uh huh," Markus nodded. "Along with something else."

Pretty soon, everyone had cake. Percy was planning on eating most of the cake, but Markus stopped him. Annabeth came to Thalia to talk to her about the kiss with Markus, while the others enjoyed themselves. Markus quickly went out and brought some other stuff with him, like juice, pizza (of course), chips, and other party essentials.

All in all it was a good small party where people just sat around talking. Today was already starting to look like a good day.

After a few hours, Thalia came forward, getting everyone's attention. "Everyone, I'd like to thank all of you for coming," Thalia said, smiling happily. "It's been... really cool. You guys are the best."

Everyone cheered slightly, either hugging or clapping Thalia on the back.

Markus leaned forward whispered something into her ear. Smiling, she spoke to everyone again. "Hey, guys. Me and Markus need to... go somewhere."

"Is it to make out?" Will asked, causing the others to laugh.

Markus scoffed. "Trust me, Will. I'd do it right now if Thalia wasn't so embarrassed by it." She hit him on the shoulder. "See?"

"Anyways," Thalia said to get back on track, "we're going out of camp to do something."

"Wait, you guys need Chiron's permission," Annabeth asked, frowning. "Not to mention that it's dangerous to go out of camp-"

"Annabeth," Thalia interrupted, looking at her friends. "Markus told me he got Chiron's permission. Besides, we can handle a bunch of monsters." When it looked like Annabeth was going to protest, Thalia looked her in the eyes. "Annie, please."

Annabeth scowled a little, sighing. "Fine."

Smiling, Thalia hugged her while Silena and Katie sent both Thalia and Markus knowing looks. Markus winked at the girls as Thalia and him wished the others thanks while they went outside.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Thalia asked, looking at Markus.

Smiling, Markus decided that they'd go out first before meeting Jason. "We could go to the mall first. Then we get to the surprise afterwards. Followed by Green Day."

Thalia shrugged. "Sounds good to me. But how-"

"Leave that to me," Markus said. He picked Thalia up bridal style as he coated her in a small sheen of his magic. It was hardly noticeable to the naked eye. Then he went off in a sonic boom, exiting camp.

Thalia screamed, holding onto Markus for dear life as he ran. She still wasn't used to his speeds yet. Her hair flew through the wind as Markus carried her. It felt like hours as he ran, but for Markus, it was only minutes. He came to a stop, skidding on the ground, near the Manhattan Mall. The two were covered in the Mist, so no mortal looked at them funny.

Markus dropped Thalia as she stumbled slightly. Markus' magic protected her from the high speed, so her hair wasn't ruffled. Still, she had to hold onto Markus for support. "I don't think I want to travel like that again," Thalia mumbled.

"Noted," Markus said, smiling. "You okay?"

"A little dizzy, but I'll managed," she said. She glared at him. "If I puke my cake out, I'm spewing all over you."

Markus chuckled. "Oh, joy."

With that, the two walked into the mall, taking in the sights. The two of them had never actually been to a mall for a casual day. Well, Thalia had, but it wasn't a casual day for her. She had to escape from a bunch of monsters. So this was nice for the couple. They could finally act normal, like a average couple. It felt nice for the two of them.

The floors were marble with a black and white pattern. The walls were covered with a chrome cover and the lights were bright neon white, illuminating Markus' and Thalia's path into the wall.

While Thalia only saw all the glamours lighting and the pretty stores Markus surveyed the sights, drinking it in. The edge of billboards had been used and the marble floor had scratches on it from the numerous people that had walked on it before.

The store themselves were okay. To their left was a women's accessories store called Everyday Fashion, which Thalia seemed almost allergic to due to the store's liking for the colour pink. Markus thought that it was something Silena may like. He didn't know for sure.

To their right was a Victoria's Secret store that caught Markus' attention. The posters along the store windows featured very beautiful women wearing very sexy lingerie. Markus grinned, having a great idea. "Thalia-"

"No," Thalia shot down.

Markus pouted. "Please! I'll buy it for you!"

Thalia looked at the store, unsure. "It's not my style."

"Yeah, but it's natural for women. If you buy it, I'll do anything you want for a day. And no, today doesn't count." Thalia pouted at getting caught.

"Damn. Fine, I'll buy it."

Markus fist-pumped the air, reaching into his jacket to take out money. He gave some to Thalia, who looked at Markus' wide grin. Sighing, she walked into the store while Markus waited patiently for her to come out. A few minutes later, she came back with a small bag in her hand. Before Markus could say anything, she dragged him towards the next shop.

They ignored a nearby Starbucks. Actually, Thalia ignored it. She just kept on dragging Markus because she did not want a repeat of what happened on their last quest. They _did_ go to a store that sold leather jackets. Thalia bought a number of them, each different shapes and sizes. Markus laughed at some that looked to be too big for her, while appreciating the ones that suited her.

They left the store and moved to another store that Thalia really wanted to go to.

"You want to get a tattoo?" Markus asked as they stood outside a tattoo store. Why there was even a tattoo store in a mall was confusing, but whatever.

Thalia nodded with a smile. "Yeah. It's something that I've been into."

"You're really going for the punk look, aren't you?" Markus asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yep. Plus, you look sexy with your tattoos, so maybe I should try it."

"While it's true, you don't need tattoos to be sexy, princess. You're already sexy to me." Markus kissed the top of her head, making her smile.

"Thanks, but I still want it."

"That's fine," Markus shrugged.

Thalia looked at him, eyebrow raised. "You're not going to lecture me not to do it?"

Markus looked at her with a deadpanned look. "Thalia, I'm your boyfriend, not your parent. I'll stop you from doing stupid stuff, true. But getting a tattoo isn't counted as stupid stuff. It's your business and decision to get one. Plus, I have them as well, so I can't lecture you about it."

Thalia smiled, kissing his cheek. "Thanks. So, tattoo?"

"Tattoo. But are you going to get one with rainbows and sunshines on it? Maybe a cute little pony- OW!" Markus rubbed his head. "Goddammit, woman! I was joking."

"Then don't," was all she said. With that, the two walked inside. Thalia talked to the tattoo guy about what type of tattoo she wanted, and where she wanted it. The guy was questioning her about her age, but Markus just used the Mist to convince him.

Thalia laid down on her front, her smooth back exposed as the tattoo guy did her tattoo for her. Markus wanted to stay, but Thalia told him that she wanted it to be a surprise. After roughly thirty minutes, she came out.

"So, what'd you get?" Markus asked Thalia once she came out.

Grinning, Thalia turned around and lifted her jacket and shirt, exposing her back with her new tattoo on display. It was a black sword with angel and devil wings framing it. "Wow, that looks badass," Markus commented, touching her back to inspect it. Thalia shivered at the contact. "But why did you choose it?"

Thalia shrugged. "It felt right to me."

Smiling, the couple walked off to enjoy the rest of their date. Markus saw a video game store that he liked. After seeing this, Thalia sighed, allowing him to buy what he wanted. Markus kissed her deeply before rushing into the store, practically salivating over the games that were there. Eventually, he purchased some, while discretely putting them into one of his pocket dimensions.

Just as they were about to continue, they heard a slithering and hissing sound. To some, this might've been their ears playing tricks on them. But for two trained demigods, this wasn't a trick. The two of them turned to see a diamond-shaped hydra emerged from one of the shops that looked particularly like a donut shop.

Both of them brought out their respective weapons, surveying their surroundings. Mortals ran around, some claiming that there was a break out in the pet store, releasing a horde of snakes. In a way, they weren't wrong.

"So much for a smooth date," Markus muttered.

Thalia glared at the hydra as it glared at the two. "No," Thalia glared, pointing at the thing with her spear. "I'm having a really good day! Don't you dare!"

"I don't think it cares," Markus said, ignoring the glare Thalia gave him at that.

The hydra spat out a glob of acid at them. The demigods rolled out of the way, allowing the space they were previously occupying to melt and hiss, the floor being corroded.

Thalia's eyes sparked as she glared at the monster.

"Now, Thalia," Markus cautioned. "No need to get-"

She pointed her spear at the hydra, a blast of lightning shoot from the tip and zapping it. It screeched and recoiled.

Thalia charged at the hydra, Markus quickly following after her. "Thalia, hold on! You can't charge in recklessly!"

"I'm not!" Thalia yelled back. She jumped, the wind aiding her and granting her a boost. She soared over the hydra and allowed gravity to do the rest. She speared one of the heads in its jaw as it tried to devour her. The head screeched and roared, acid spraying all over the place.

The rest of the heads converged onto Thalia, who was now weaponless apart from her shield. Holding her Aegis out and planting it onto the ground, the terrifying image of Medusa caused the heads to retreat, though only barely.

Just as she was about to continue her attack, nine storm lasers were shot simultaneously, punching right through the heads in an explosion of blood and gore. A larger, more powerful laser was aimed for the body of the hydra, disintegrating it with an explosion.

Thalia waved away the smoke and turned to a smiling Markus. "I had that."

"I know you did," Markus said. "But I did want to get this date back on track. Can't have it ruined, after all."

"... True," Thalia nodded, using the wind to bring her spear back to her.

Just as the two were about to continue their dates, a howl reverberated across the mall. The two looked behind them to see dozens of hellhounds approaching them, saliva dribbling between their teeth as they snarled.

"Nope," both of them spoke. Looking at each other with a grin, the two raised their hands and shot lightning from their hands, incinerating each hellhound and making them disappear in clouds of darkness.

Thalia sighed in relief, stress gone. "I needed that."

"Pretty obvious," Markus noted with a smile. Thalia punched him slightly on the arm, but she smiled as well. The two continued their date after that.

"You want to eat something?" Markus asked, hearing Thalia's stomach rumble.

She blushed a little, but nodded. "Yeah. Looks like the cake wasn't enough for me."

"That's fine," Markus said, shrugging. Looking around at certain shops, he smiled at seeing one he liked. "Chinese?"

"Chinese," Thalia nodded. The two sat down and ordered what they wanted. Markus got three large bowls of noodles, spring rolls, shredded chicken and beef with rice. He would've eaten more, but he didn't want to ruin the date by pigging out entirely. Thalia just ate two bowls of large noodles.

Once they finished, the two exited the shop, satisfied. "So, you have fun?" Markus asked.

Thalia nodded, a smile on her face. "Yeah. Got a tattoo, bought some stuff I liked-"

"-Got some sexy underwear," Markus interrupted with a grin, getting Thalia to elbow him.

"Anyways," Thalia continued. "I had fun. But it was kind of..."

"Boring?" Markus offered, getting Thalia to nod.

"Yeah. Not that I didn't enjoy today. I really did. It's just... I think I'm so used to the craziness of our lives. All the fighting, the drama. I didn't think I'd like it, but it just... sticks to you."

"I get what you mean," Markus nodded. "Things were a little slow today. Not that that's a bad thing." Markus leaned forward to kiss her gently. "Sometimes you need to appreciate the things that you enjoy."

"What? You have a notebook of witty one-liners you could use to woo me?" Thalia asked, rolling her eyes.

Markus scoffed. "Of course not. I'm just honest with what I say. This is all me."

"I can imagine," Thalia said jokingly. Still, she enjoyed hearing that he was honest with what he said. "So, are we going back to camp?"

Markus had a contemplative look on his face, confusing Thalia. Then he smiled. "Actually, we're taking a detour," he said finally. "This is a special surprise that I have for you. Something that you'll love."

"More than Green Day?" Thalia asked, skeptical.

Markus gave a knowing smile. "Better than Green Day."

"Alright, lover boy," Thalia said, smiling. "Impress me."

Looking around discretely, Markus carried Thalia bridal-style again and surrounded them in a dome of magic. With that, he sped off towards a certain direction. He ran towards California, to Camp Jupiter. To both of them, colours blurred in their eyes as Markus ran. Thalia's heart raced at moving at such speeds, afraid they were going to crash into something. Markus swerved past any cars, trees and statues, always narrowly escaping to give Thalia a scare. If her screams were any indication, it was working.

Markus skidded to a stop, causing pebbles, dirt and rock to fly. Caldecott Tunnel was right in front of them. He dropped Thalia, who turned around and slapped him on the face. "Ow!" Markus yelled, cradling his face. He glared at his girlfriend. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For being an ass!" Thalia yelled, trying to get her heart to stop jumping. "We almost crashed several times back there!"

"Okay, first, I am an ass-man with a nice ass. We've been over this," Markus said, getting Thalia to blush and sputter at his words. Grinning, he continued. "And secondly, I've been running for roughly over two years. Apart from accidents at the start, I never crashed into anything. I would not start now."

"... Still, though," Thalia grumbled. Markus smiled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply for a few moments. He separated, enjoying Thalia's happy face. "Don't worry, princess. I'd never do that. Now, I need to get your surprise."

"You going to tell me what it is?" Thalia asked, impatient. While she did enjoy a surprise, this was eating at her.

"I can't," Markus answered. He continued quickly, seeing Thalia about to say something. "I mean I literally can't tell you. Took an oath on the Styx for it. I _can_ , however, show you."

Thalia furrowed her eyebrows. "If this is something that you can't tell me, why show me? Isn't that still breaking your oath?"

Markus smiled. "It's not against the oath. And even if it was, I'd still risk it." He winked. "Now wait here. I'll be back quickly." With that, he dashed into the tunnel. Just as he was about to cross the bridge, he disappeared in a cloud of vapour. He spread his vapour body out rapidly, passing the statue god Terminus, who looked around as if he'd sensed something.

A neat little trick he'd realise with vapour-travel: he could stay in his vapour body for as long as he could (which was several hours) and spread out his incorporeal body. This had the effect of practically masking his power as a demigod. He could only be sensed if he was practically standing in front of beings who could sense him, like gods and nature spirits. And since he'd spread out his body before coming in, Terminus couldn't sense him.

Markus spread his senses out, searching for Jason. While he had a basic understanding of the layout of the camp, he didn't know exactly where Jason would be. After a few moments of circling his essence around the camp, he was able to pinpoint where Jason was. His vapour body closed in on where he was.

Through his... well, not eyes, but- screw it, eyes. Through his _eyes,_ he saw that there was a young boy in the arena. He was just a few inches shy of Markus' own height, with broad shoulders and dressed in golden armour. **(A.N. - Again, I'm assuming that he's not praetor yet, so no purple cape)**. His face was handsome, his features rugged and slightly stern. Golden blond hair covered his head and electric blue eyes shone as he swung his golden gladius in his hands. His eyes were so similar to Thalia's own that Markus stared for a moment, before recollecting himself.

He watched the boy demolish several training dummies set up. Markus was impressed with what he saw. Jason was deadly with a sword. He'd bet that he could probably fight Percy on even footing. Although both fought differently, so the outcome was something he was unsure about.

As Jason finished, he wiped sweat from his brow, panting. He removed his golden armour, revealing a purple T-shirt underneath. So the colour schemes of this camp were purple? Well, it was a good colour. Certainly no orange or green.

Thinking of how to get Jason's attention, he smiled as he came up with an idea. He gathered enough vapour to form the lower part of his face, showcasing his mouth. Putting power into his voice, he called out, "Jason Grace."

Immediately, Jason whirled, sword at the ready at his vapour-body. His stern face was replaced with a confused one, then narrowed back into stern again. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

Forming more vapour so that he could see an outline of his body, Markus continued speaking. "I've been waiting for you, Jason."

"Who are you?" Jason demanded, sparks dancing along his sword. "Enough tricks!"

While he couldn't blame him being cautious and weary, he didn't have time for that. He spread his divine energy out, stunning Jason. The son of Jupiter almost dropped his sword, his instincts screaming at him to run away. This... this had to be a god!

Jason dropped down to one knee, sword lowered. "My apologies, my lord! I didn't think I'd receive any visits from the gods."

Markus was stunned. Sure, he wanted to scare the kid, but he didn't think that he'd think he was a god. Well, he was, but he didn't want anyone kneeling to him. Now that he thought about it, what was he? He was a demigod, and yet could turn into a god. So... what? Quasi-god? Demi-divine? He was getting a headache from this.

"I am not... actually, forget it. Stand up, Jason. No need to bow," Markus said, trying to ease the tension.

Jason still remained on one knee, confused. "You do not want me to bow, milord?"

"Stop calling me 'milord'," Markus snapped, getting Jason to flinch. He sighed. "Sorry. Listen, I am the person that told Reyna that I'd be visiting you."

Jason stood up immediately, eyes wide with excitement and hope. "Is it true? You know about my sister? Where is she? What is she like? How-"

"Calm down," Markus interrupted, and Jason did so, but was still visibly excited. "I do know your sister, very well in fact. And she is close. As for what she's like... that you'll know yourself. I swore on the River Styx to reunite you with your sister, and I shall do so." Markus willed his right hand to become corporeal, stretching it towards Jason. "Take my hand, Jason, and you will see your sister."

Jason hesitated, unsure if he should trust this mysterious being. Did he really know where his sister was? Was he lying to him? He shook his head. He swore upon the Styx. That alone was enough to guarantee that he was telling the truth.

Jason slowly reached out, touching Markus' hand. As soon as he held his hand, the son of Jupiter disappeared in a cloud of vapour, exiting Camp Jupiter.

Thalia was tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for Markus to reveal this 'surprise'. If he was playing a prank on her, she was going to kill him. Suddenly, he appeared in a cloud of vapour, startling her. Just as she was about to yell at him, she realised that he wasn't alone.

Thalia's jaw dropped as she stared at the teen. The blonde hair, the blue eyes, the familiar cut around his lip... No. No, this... this was a dream. It had to be.

"It's not a dream," Markus said, as if reading her mind. He smiled lightly. "I'd never do that to you. It's him. It's really him."

Thalia's blue eyes misting slightly, biting her lip like she wanted to keep from crying. Jason followed Markus' gaze and when his eyes locked with the older girl's, he felt something akin to familiarity. As a tear rolled down the raven-haired girl's cheek, Jason felt the urge to make her smile.

"Jason Grace," Markus said, gesturing towards his sister. "Meet, Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. Your older sister. Thalia, meet Jason Grace, son of Ju-Zeus. And your little brother."

Jason and Thalia stared at each other for a moment before one of them moved. Jason nearly fell over when Thalia bowled into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, and tears falling down her cheeks. Jason failed to speak as Thalia cried while hugging him and kept on repeating two words:"You're real."

"Y-Yeah..." Jason finally managed to say as he hugged her back, tears of his own starting to form as he choked out, "I-I'm real."

Markus smiled at the scene, happy at the scene in front of him. Both of them deserved this. It wasn't fair that the actions of Zeus were the cause of all of this. Now, they were reunited.

Thalia's closed and tear-stricken eyes opened and locked eyes with a smiling Markus. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, before settling on anger. Forcing herself out of Jason's grasp, she walked towards Markus with a glare.

"You knew," she whispered, a boom of thunder sounding across the sky. Markus' eyes went to confusion and then understanding. "You _knew_ about Jasonand didn't tell me!"

"Actually, I only knew Jason existed for about... what, two days?" Markus narrowed his eyes in confusion. "And before you explode, let me explain. I would never do this to you without an actual reason."

Thalia's eyes grew stormy, but she managed to restrain herself. The sky was turning dark, thunder crackling softly. "Explain."

"After you first told me about Jason," Markus started, "one thing you said struck me as odd. Zeus visited you and your mum a second time, and came back stern and speaking Latin. I already knew about the Ro- another camp that was similar to Camp Half-Blood that had links to Latin. So I put two and two together, and visited a friend who knew about Jason. I arranged for you guys to meet after the quest."

"And why didn't you tell me Jason was alive when you found out?" Thalia's voice was calm. Scarily calm. Jason edged away from his sister, slightly scared.

"I made an promise on the Styx to not reveal anything of the Roman camp to anyone in Camp Half-Blood and Olympus," Markus answered. "Dad made me do it. And so I couldn't tell you anything. I could, however, show you your brother."

Thalia nodded, losing some of her anger, understanding dawning in her eyes. Jason, however, was confused. "Uh, my lord-"

"Markus," Markus said, rolling his eyes. "I told you I'm not a god. Actually, I am, but I don't like being called 'lord'."

Thalia looked at him incredulously. "Why did Jason call you 'lord'? And really?"

"He calls me that because I scared him and he insists that I'm a god." Thalia glared at him, making him hold his hands up. "Okay, bad idea, but I didn't mean to. And I'm not wrong. Let me have _some_ arrogance."

Thalia rolled his eyes as Jason still looked confused. "Okay, but what do you mean by Zeus? Don't you mean Jupiter?"

Markus turned to Thalia. "You want to take this?"

"Fine," Thalia sighed. She turned to Jason. "Jason, the truth is... Greek gods exist, just as the Romans do, apparently. Don't worry if you're still feeling confused, I just found out myself." She had a reassuring smile on her face, but then frowned. "I still don't know why I believed you died."

"I assume that it was because of Zeus," Markus offered. "Greeks and Romans don't mix well. Last time they did, things got bloody. The Mist was used to heavily separate us. Now," Markus clapped both children of the sky on the back, "you can have your history lesson later. I brought you both here for a birthday gift. So enjoy."

"But, Markus-" "Nope," Markus interrupted Thalia, smiling. "It's your birthday. You have your brother back. Enjoy yourself. Talk. Say where you want to go and I'll take you there, let you guys talk and reconcile. Do keep in mind, though, that Jason does have to be back soon. Oh, and there's Green Day. You can visit him when you want-"

Thalia grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him towards her, kissing him hard. Markus reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her. The two made out fiercely, eyes closed. Jason blushed watching this. He didn't feel comfortable, especially since it was his long-lost sister kissing a... god? He never did get who this guy was.

The two were still going at it, tongues intertwined and dancing. Both of them found that there was no other place they'd rather be than right here. After a few minutes, the two separated, grinning stupidly.

"I love you," Thalia whispered, leaning forward and kissing Markus again. "So much. I love you."

"I love you, too," Markus said, holding her gently. "Now, go meet Jason. And ask where you want to go, please. I'll pay for everything."

Smiling, the two were taken to an ice-cream store in New York. Jason was nervous, afraid of being discovered by the gods. Markus assured him that it was fine. The two reunited siblings ate ice-cream, just content with talking with one another. They didn't move or go anywhere else. They just... talked. About what happened in their lives. About what they had felt when they lost each other. About... everything. There were more tears, a lot of laughs, and a lot more happiness.

Markus watched close by with a smile on his face. Thalia looked so happy, even more happy than before. She was positively glowing. And that was meant literally, as her body lit up with electricity. Jason was also happy. Which was a good thing, since the kid looked like he'd never had any fun. He wondered how he'd react when he told him that his dad was dead.

Eventually, Markus walked away, getting a can of soda from a nearby dispenser. As he drank, he caught sight of a familiar man, sitting at one of the tables. Finishing his drink and tossing the can in the trash can, he sat down on the same table as the man. "So, I suppose that you didn't come to say 'Happy Birthday' to your niece?"

"No, but tell her I said 'Happy Birthday'," Poseidon said with a sigh. Instead of his usual Hawaiian shirts and beach get-up, he wore regularly jeans and a blue shirt. For all intents and purposes, he looked like on of those dads who were trying to look cool. He somehow pulled it off.

"Just so you know, I'm not breaking my oath," Markus said quickly, looking at his father. "I'm just... bending the rules."

"Yes, by doing it dangerously," Poseidon warned. "You were lucky that young Jason and Thalia were related. If anyone else found out-"

"They won't," Markus assured. "At least, not through me. This was a one-time thing. Something that needed to happen."

Poseidon sighed, but had a knowing look in his eyes. "Yes. Family is very important. Younger siblings may be annoying, but we still love them all the same."

Markus shifted in his seat a little. "Dad-"

"Don't, Markus," Poseidon interrupted. "Just... don't. I know why you did it. I'm not angry at you. I don't agree with what you did, but I see why you did it. If anything, some good things did come from it, even though I don't like the method."

Markus nodded, seeing a waitress come up to their desk to take their orders. She blushed, seeing the two handsome beings before her. "C-Can I-I get you t-two anything?" she stuttered, her face tomato-red.

Poseidon smiled, making her blush even more. "No thank you. I'm fine."

"I'll have a strawberry sundae," Markus ordered with a smile. With a fast nod, the waitress walked away.

"So, when did you get your own harem?" Poseidon asked, making Markus choke on his spit.

"H-How do you-" Markus started to ask, but Poseidon waved his hand nonchalantly. "Oh, please. I just know these things. I _do_ watch you and Percy. So?"

"Uh..." Markus blushed, not sure how to properly respond. "Well, I got my first girlfriend roughly two months ago, Silena Beauregard, who's a daughter of Aphrodite, to agree to the whole idea. This all started because one of my fatal flaws was greed, and I... wanted more girls," Markus said, blushing. "Okay, that makes me sound like a pervert. And then Katie, a daughter of Demeter, got interested in me. And then I fell for Thalia and... the rest is history."

"I see," Poseidon said, grinning. "Anyone else?"

Markus blushed even harder, images of Annabeth popping into his mind. "I'm not answering that."

"You dog," Poseidon teased, chuckling. "I'm proud of you, son. You're following in your old man's footsteps. If you need any tips, I can-"

"No," Markus denied instantly. "While your sexcapades usually result in awesome things like me and Percy, I still don't want to hear about it. Not to mention that you're losing your touch."

"Hey!" Poseidon pretended to be offended. "I'll have you know that I'm still popular with the local nymphs. Besides, who else would you go to for advice?"

"Considering I'm forming a harem all on my own, I think I'm doing alright," Markus said with a smirk, causing Poseidon to laugh. He would've said more, but the waitress came back with his sundae, along with a napkin. As he took his sundae, he saw the waitress wink, before turning away. Curious, he looked at her retreating form, before looking at the napkin and saw her number. Sighing, he crumpled it and threw it away.

Poseidon chuckled, seeing this. "My, does your charm cease to amaze me?"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Markus said, rolling his eyes. The two had a comfortable silence between the two of them. Then Markus said, "Percy's the prophecy child."

Poseidon's mirth disappeared, slowly replaced with worry. "What?"

Sighing, Markus revealed his encounter with the Fates. Poseidon was silent for a moment, before speaking.

"That was reckless, Markus," he said finally. "Reckless, stupid and foolish. I could keep going until the sun goes down. Threatening the Fates doesn't work for anybody. I-If the Fates permit it-"

"Percy's not going to die," Markus interrupted sternly.

"But-" "Fuck the Fates," Markus snarled. "I don't care about a stupid prophecy. My baby brother _isn't_ dying anytime soon."

"None can defy the Fates, son," Poseidon said sadly.

A fire lit in his eyes. "Then I'll be the first to do so."

Poseidon stared deeply into his eyes. "You're serious. You realise that the Fates will be after you, trying to halt you at every corner that you take."

Markus nodded. "I know. And I don't care."

Poseidon sighed deeply. "Do you get a kick out of screwing with immortals?" Markus chuckled at that. Poseidon was silent for a moment, before he spoke. "Even though I know it's impossible, I still find myself believing in you. Just... protect your brother. Please."

"There was no need to even ask me that," Markus smirked. At that moment, Thalia and Jason walked up to him, chatting amicably. The two siblings looked at Markus and who he was sitting with.

Recognising who it was, Thalia bowed slightly. "Uncle." Jason quickly copied the same action.

Poseidon chuckled. "Peace, niece. I don't need you to bow to me." He then turned to Jason. "Nephew."

"Lord Neptune," Jason greeted, bowing his head.

Poseidon hissed, holding his head slightly. His face shifted from Greek to Roman, and then to Greek again. "Just Poseidon will do for now."

"Oh, yes. Apologies," Jason said, blushing.

Markus coughed, muttering 'suck up'. Thalia whacked him upside the head, making him yelp. Poseidon looked amused.

"I hope you are enjoying your time together, though I'd advise that you wrap things up. Some gods might take notice of your presence with young Jason."

Thalia looked a little downtrodden, but nodded in understanding. "Right."

"I can do my best to stall," Markus added, trying to get the two to spend as much time with each other as possible. "The Mist can do its job to conceal you."

"Yes, but the Mist can do only so much," Poseidon countered, getting Markus to glare at him.

Thalia smiled. "No, it's fine. I'd like to spend as much time as I have with Jason. Besides, I can visit him any other times."

"Yeah," Jason agreed, smiling lightly. "I'm just glad to finally meet my sister. Thank you, Markus."

Markus nodded. "You're welcome."

Smiling lightly, Poseidon stood up. "Well, I'll leave you three to enjoy your day. Happy Birthday, niece." With that, he disappeared in a cloud of vapour, leaving behind a sea breeze.

With that, the children of the sky went to different places, from amusement parks to the park, even to the place where Thalia originally thought Jason had 'died'. She didn't know why they went there. Possibly for some closure.

After a while, it started to get dark. The two siblings were brought back to near the entrance to Camp Jupiter, just outside Caldecott Tunnel.

"So... this is it," Jason said, feeling a little sad. He'd just met his sister after years of almost not remembering her, and now that he'd found her, he didn't want to leave her.

Thalia nodded, afraid of saying something. If she did, she'd break down crying.

Jason smiled. "At least we can see each other again."

"Yeah," was all Thalia had said, happiness swelling in her eyes.

Shuffling his feet, Jason decided to talk about something else while they were still here. "So... Markus is your boyfriend?"

"Yeah," was all Thalia said. She didn't want to tell him about the whole 'girlfriends' situation. She didn't know how'd he react.

"That's... nice," Jason said, not sure what to say. He coughed awkwardly. "I-I mean, that's good! Uh, congratulations!"

Thalia laughed at how Jason made it sound. "Jason, it's fine, really. You don't have to try to act happy."

"But I am happy for you," he responded. He struggled to form the next few words, but he managed. "Is he... good to you?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow, considering the question. She smiled moments later. "He is. He's... a lot to deal with. He has his faults. But, honestly, I wouldn't have him any other way."

Jason sighed with relief. "Good."

"Why, were you going to be the protective brother?"

Jason sputtered. "N-No! I-I just, uh, wanted to make sure you were okay! That's all!"

The daughter of Zeus rolled her eyes. "Relax, Jay. Let me be the overprotective sibling. That's my job. Speaking of which," her voice gained a teasing quality to it, "are there any girls I need to shock?"

Jason blushed, sputtering wildly. Thalia laughed at his expense. After a while, Jason joined her.

The two stopped, realising that they had to leave. Jason stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you."

Thalia returned it fiercely. "Me too." She kissed the top of his head.

They slowly separated, fighting the urge to cry. Markus stepped forward, grabbing Jason by the shoulder and dispersing into a cloud of vapour, heading towards Camp Jupiter. A few moments later, Markus appeared in front of Thalia as he hugged her. Thalia returned it, finally letting the tears fall. Only, these were tears of happiness.

"Thank you," was all she said. Markus nodded against her, just holding her.

After several minutes that felt like hours, they separated. Markus grinned. "The day's not over yet."

Thalia grinned widely, vibrating in excitement. "Green Day?"

"Green Day."

A quick trip to Madison Square Garden in Midtown later, the two had arrived just in time. They saw that the entire hall was surrounded by people. Most were trying to get in, some were trying to buy tickets off others, and a few were caught sneaking in.

"Woah," Thalia said, looking around in awe. "Everything's so different now."

Markus raised an eyebrow. "You've been here before?"

"Yeah, with my... mum. Everything looks so much brighter, much clearer."

Markus nodded, looking at the line of people. "Well, let's go."

"How are we getting in?" Thalia asked as she looked at the people. "There are so many people."

Markus smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two platinum passes to the concert. "What, you didn't think that I wouldn't get the tickets, did you?"

Grinning, Thalia followed him towards the entrance. Standing at the front was a large black man in a tight fitting black t-shirt and trousers. He had a ear piece on his side and he looked down as the two approached. "What do you two want?"

Markus rolled his eyes. "A lap dance. What do think we're here for? We want in."

"Tickets," was all the man said. The two of them handed over their passes and the guard scrutinised them. He nodded and gave them back before stepping to the side opening the door for the two. "Have a good time."

Nodding, the two of them walked inside, pushing past several people. They walked down the corridor and after another check point they walked out onto the concert hall. It was packed, people filled almost all the seats. The lights were bright and colourful, and the people were abuzz with excitement.

"Looks like Green Day is still popular," Markus noted, looking at all of the excited fans.

Thalia looked at him as if he had asked a stupid question. "Of course they're popular. They're an awesome band."

"Uh huh," Markus nodded, rolling his eyes. A punch to his arm was what he got in response to that. "Ow!"

"That's what you get for dissing an awesome band."

The two tried to find their seats. It seemed like having platinum passes gave them front rows to the stage. Markus saw a few fans eyeing their seats and then looking around, as if to see if anyone was going to sit there. Thinking quickly, Markus grabbed Thalia's hand and the two moved dashed to their seats, landing in a heap on them.

The fans groaned and moaned as both demigods smirked, their seats secure. Soon, the lights went down and Billie Joe Armstrong came on stage, all dressed up.

"Ladies and gentlemen are you ready to rock?!" he shouted.

Markus was tempted to shout something funny, like 'Three Days Grace' was better or something, but refrained as everyone got off their seats and shouted, "Yeah!"

"Then without further adieu, let's get this show on the road!" The lights exploded revealing the rest of the stage. There was a guy on guitar, one on bass and one on drums. Billie Joe was singing, and the moment he began, everyone cheered.

The first song was 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams''. Thalia kept on yelling, "I love you!" at the top of her voice.

Markus watched, listened and shouted, throwing his hands up. He admitted that while Green Day wasn't his favourite band, they were still admittedly good. He smiled, enjoying himself. It was nice to just enjoy simple things like a concert. Took his mind off the craziness of his life.

The crowd roar in happiness, singing along to the song. The music was like a drug, and everyone was high. Some fans tried to jump onto the stage and failed. Others had T-shirts with the singers' faces on them. Others just kept shouting.

The song was over now and new one began. This one was called "Holiday" and it blew everyone's mind the moment they started playing.

Markus looked towards Thalia, who's face shone with happiness. Seeing this, Markus smiled, having a great idea. Once "Holiday" had finished, Markus took Thalia's hand and pushed most of the crowd out of the way.

"Markus, what-" Thalia was about to ask, but Markus kept on moving, throwing a quick smile over his shoulder. Once they reached the stage, Markus jumped up, pulling Thalia with him. She tried to pull her hand from him, but he held on.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Jason White yelled out, stunned.

The crowd started to boo at the demigods for interrupting the concert, but Markus turned to them and shouted, "Shut up!"

Surprisingly, the crowd quickly closed their mouths.

Turning to the stunned band, Markus grinned. "Hi."

"Uh, hey," Billie Joe waved his hand in greeting. "Listen, we've got a concert to finish and-"

"Oh, I know," Markus interrupted. "It's just that-" Markus pulled Thalia towards the band members. She was fidgeting and shuffling nervously, "-I wanted my girlfriend to meet her idols. And also for her to sing a song with you."

"What?!" Thalia exclaimed in shock. She whirled around to Markus, who continued to have a smile on his face.

Mike Dernt raised an eyebrow. "And what makes her different from all the other fans? It's great to meet a fan but-"

"But it's her birthday," Markus said with a smile. "You wouldn't want to disappoint a fan on their birthday, would you? Plus, she's been wanting to meet you guys for years."

The band members looked at each other, before looking at Thalia. Then they looked at Markus. "You got balls, kid," Billie Joe said finally, grinning. "Plus, we can't let down a fan, can we?"

"Y-You mean..." Thalia managed to say, smiling.

"Come on, kid!" Jason White gestured, passing a spare microphone to her.

Thalia looked like she would die of happiness. She gently grabbed the microphone as Markus jumped down into the crowd.

Pretty soon, the band started to play again, but not before singing 'Happy Birthday' to her. "American Idiot" started to play, and Thalia played along. She probably sounded pretty bad, but her voice was overshadowed by the band's voices and the cheering and the crowd, so it was okay. At most parts, she looked like a deer in headlights, but at other parts, she looked like she was having fun.

The concert ended after a couple of hours, each band member congratulating her and wishing her happy birthday. She even asked all of them to sign her bracelet. How she managed that, Markus had no idea.

The two headed towards the exit, Thalia still vibrating with excitement.

"You have fun?" Markus asked with a smile.

Thalia nodded. "Yeah. Thank you, so much."

Markus smiled. "As long as you're happy," he pecked her on the lips, "that's all the thanks I need. Now, you want to head to the after party?"

"There's an after party?" she asked. Markus nodded, getting her to hum in thought. After a while, she nodded. "Okay, let's go."

Smiling, the two decided to walk there. Along the way, they passed several fans and annoying and somewhat shady people. They were just enjoying their time when a loud SMACK sounded through the air. Thalia stopped, wide-eyed. A whistle came from one of the shady people. He wore dark clothes and had a smirk on his face. "Damn, that was a nice ass. Hey, babe. Ditch the loser and come with a real man."

Markus took about two seconds to process what had happened. One dumbass just slapped Thalia's ass. Before she could possibly kill the guy, Markus turned towards him, eyes a crimson hue.

"So you're the dumbass who slapped my girlfriend's ass," Markus said with an 'innocent' smile.

The man laughed cockily. "Yep, that was me. What are you going to do about-"

The man didn't get to finish as Markus grabbed his wrist and snapped it, making the bones break. He didn't even get to scream as Markus grabbed his front and slammed him into the ground, back first. Markus kept on innocently smiling, although his demonic gaze spoke differently.

" **Glad to hear that** ," Markus whispered. Standing up, Markus stomped down hard on the man's crotch, getting him to squeal like a pig. A loud pop rang through the air. " **Pop goes the weasel** ," he sang with glee.

The man passed out, foam forming at his mouth. Nodding, Markus turned to Thalia, who - like the others - looked wide-eyed at the scene.

"That... was something," Thalia said finally.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "And what would you have done?"

"Oh, burnt him to a crisp."

Markus nodded. "See? I put the fear of God into him and destroyed his chances of getting laid. You would've fried him as he stood. We're perfect for each other."

"Yep." Stepping up to him, she kissed him on the cheek. "My hero."

"It was an honour, my princess." Markus performed a mock bow, getting her to laugh. The two continued to the after party, thankfully not bothered by anyone else.

The two quickly arrive at their destination. The place looked like a local pub but was surrounded by people trying to get in. Markus and Thalia had to wait in line for five minutes before they managed to get in. Inside was filled with people all drinking, dancing and having a good time. Most were dressed up in leather jackets and jeans. However, most had their hair dyed and a piercing or two.

"So, what do you want to do?" Markus asked.

Looking around, Thalia pointed at the band standing on the centre of the room. "There." There wasn't any fancy lights or any fancy sound systems. They were just playing, and people were just having a good time.

Shrugging, Markus followed and managed to push through to meet the band. They greeted Thalia with smiles and hugs, playing music as everyone watched. It was nice, just sitting down and talking. It made everyone calm down slightly from the hype of the concert.

The couple then made their way towards the bar, both getting some water. They didn't plan on getting anything alcoholic, as they knew the troubles that came with it.

As the two talked and chatted, a busty blonde girl sat next to the two, wearing tight leather pants and a crop top, showcasing a pierced belly button. She had a sultry expression on her face as she eyed Markus. "Hey there, hot stuff."

The two demigods stopped talking and looked at the blonde next to them. Thalia immediately snarled and Markus sighed, before turning to face the girl. "Yes?"

The girl kept on smirking, leaning forward to showcase her tight breasts. Markus, to his credit, didn't look down. "Won't you be a dear and buy a girl a drink? I'm sure I can _reward_ you for good behaviour?" She puffed up her chest.

Before Markus could so 'no', Thalia butted in. "Won't _you_ stop acting like a slut and take a hint?"

Immediately, some of the people at the bar 'oohed', while the girl glared at Thalia. "Get lost, kid. Why wouldn't want he want a more 'mature' girl instead of a brat?"

The forming crowd continued to 'ooh' as Thalia glared. "Maybe because I'm his girlfriend and your nothing but desperate and cheap?"

By now, the crowd had bought out their phones to record the scene.

"Listen, you little brat!" By now the two were standing up. "Why don't you take your pathetic little ass and fuck off."

Thalia smirked. "You first." With that, she slapped the girl in the face, hard. The crowd winced as Markus saw lightning crackle across her palm. Markus smirked. He was so proud.

The girl fell backwards, landing into a black-haired girl wearing similar clothing. She glared. "That was my friend, you bitch!" By the slight slur of her voice, they could tell that she was drunk. She tossed the bottle of vodka that she was drinking at Thalia. Markus moved Thalia downwards, letting the bottle shatter against a large man's back. He turned around, glaring at the shocked girl. "You bitch!"

With that, he tackled the girl off her seat. Pretty soon, it turned into chaos after that. Bottles were flung through the air, people were pushing and jostling each other, and some drunks laughed and joined in on the madness. There was a lot of shouting, swearing, and cries from getting hit, kicked and punched. A pool table fell to the floor, having collapsed after someone was tossed into it.

The two demigods crawled on the floor to escape the madness, moving quickly to avoid any flying objects, be they bottles or people. A few bottles headed their way, but Markus caught them and tossed them away. Any bodies that landed on the ground, they crawled around.

Eventually, they managed to get out of the bar, looking at each other for a second, before laughing loudly. The very chaos that had occurred didn't bother them. Just the very idea that something from a simple slap to a full-blown bar fight occurring was just funny to them.

The two finished laughing, wiping tears from their eyes. "Ah, I'm so proud of you," Markus said with a grin. "Slapping bitches, causing bar fights. Frankly, that was amazing."

"Uh huh," she nodded with a proud smirk. "Not many can say that they caused a bar riot on their birthday."

The two continued laughing, before Markus transported them to camp via running. Once back at camp, the two made it to Zeus' cabin, everything being cleared of all rubbish.

Smiling, Thalia sat on her bed. "Today... was amazing. Simply the best birthday ever." She leaned up and kissed Markus on the lips, before separating.

He smiled. "You're welcome. Really, it was nothing."

"But it was for me," Thalia insisted. "I got to act like a normal teenage girl, find out that my brother is still alive, and got to play at a Green Day concert. You don't know how much this means to me."

Smiling gently, Markus leaned down and kissed her, this time going for a longer time. The two wrapped their arms around each other, falling onto the bed in a heap. The two continued to lip-lock, hands roaming each others bodies. They didn't separate for a long while. When they finally did, they were panting, looking deeply into each others eyes.

"... I think it'd be a good idea to sleep here tonight," Markus decided.

Thalia nodded. "Smart boy." With that, the two continued to make-out, sleep far from their minds.

 **This was a nice chapter to write. A little funny as well, but that's just me.**

 **Wow, the title of 'God Slayer' is winning. I really wanted Leviathan, but meh. Still happy. I'll leave the poll open until next chapter. Also, I'll keep the story as it is: long with no sequel. Gave it some thought, and decided I liked the story long.**

 **Thalia won't meet Jason regularly, just often enough so that they won't get caught. Eventually.**

 **Now, since there's nothing big to comment on, guest review time:**

 **1) I think I might have him steal his friends' strings, though I'm not 100% yet. Using a Titan or a monster for rituals is a good idea, since I plan on Markus performing another ritual soon. Sealing beings into a moon... that could work. Hell, I like it! And there are other pantheons that are bothered by Kronos, but I will have a solution as to why most (I say this because this may change later on in the story). Thanks.**

 **2) That's true. Only Greek and Romans are affected by the Fates. If they tried otherwise, they'd fuck up.**

 **3) Apollyon: i) When he goes to DxD world, he won't push Issei at all. Most likely screw with canon, kill some guys and girls, etc. ii) You are a godsend. Not only do I find about a BAMF that I've never heard of before, but I could put it into the story. Garuda makes Typhon a baby in comparison. He keeps sounding perfect. THANK YOU! iii) I do plan for Markus to get into the Kane Chronicles. And Markus sounds like a perfect Host for Set. For the Sharingan illusions, I did have a countermeasure, but Set works too. And they would more than likely give Markus a run for his money, primarily due to magic. Damn, Set sounds like a perfect partner/being for Markus to Host. Thanks a bunch. (Thanks for the suggestion on the 'Chaos Files). iv) While the Egyptians joining forces with Kronos is a good idea, I'm on the fence because he has some Shinto and Hindu allies. But I won't say no, so we'll see. v) You don't need Facebook. Well, you can if you want to, but you don't. Just make an account with Google, Facebook, etc. if you want. vi) True, due to the facts you stated, the Egyptians are looking to be stronger than the Olympians.**

 **4) That view is true. I intentionally made Markus out to be a hypocrite for him to realise his fault and flaws to change. The change will be slow, and he'll be too deep into power to notice. Thanks for commenting on it!**

 **5) While I'm trying to see how the demigods can be enhanced, Kronos and the Titans will definitely be enhanced. For Kronos, it'll be through the use of the Golden Fleece and the Ophiotaurus, along with some other enhancements to truly give Markus a proper challenge (especially when I get to The Last Olympian). The other Titans will be through me actually making them stronger. Reason being is that they're older and more powerful than the Olympians, and I'm of the opinion that we didn't see how powerful in PJO. Percy defeating Hyperion was awesome, but apart from that, I feel that most of the Titans were downplayed quite a bit. So I'm rectifying that. And the minor gods are definitely getting a lot more attention in the story, due to Markus' actions. And Zoe and Aphrodite are still in the harem, it'll just take a while to join.**

 **6) Kampe will definitely receive a power-up, now that you bring it up, and the Daedelus bit is a good idea.**

 **7) I do agree with you that all the gods in the Riordanverse are empowered by belief. Like you said, it's blatantly obvious. Stories and faith/belief are practically keeping them alive. And Percy's bit in the first book was true, but I guess that the gods wouldn't accept that.**

 **Think that's it. Looking forward to next chapter. Celestial Ascension is getting updated soon, so be on the lookout. All my love goes to those who f,f,r and r the story.**

 **PEACE!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50:**

Chiron was sitting in his chair in the Big House, thinking deeply. Never in his long life had things been so troubling. His father and the Titans were threatening war, Artemis had been recently captured and rescued, and more and more minor gods and demigods had been disappearing and defecting to the Titans. This broke his heart, since mere children were being brought forth in a war that had nothing to do with them, not really. Throughout it all, all of the Olympians refused to acknowledge that anything was happening. And the Great Prophecy...

The centaur sighed, sadness written across his features. For years, he had wished that the Great Prophecy would not be completed soon, and yet, the looming doom that hung over their heads was something that he hated as well. Thalia was out of consideration, so that just left Percy and Markus. While Percy an ideal candidate for the prophecy, he still wished that the burden wouldn't fall on the boy. He was the perfect hero in some cases: loyal, had a good heart, and strong. But was he strong enough? Maybe if he hadn't coddled the boy, maybe then he could be allowed to grow.

Markus, on the other hand, didn't seem the ideal candidate. No offense to the boy, but he seemed to have traits that Chiron was worried about; his short temper, greed, skewed morals and actions. While, in some ways, Markus had better qualities than Percy - his smarts, even though he didn't show it, and his willingness - in some cases, Chiron would prefer Percy in this case. While killing Luke was beneficial to them logically, Chiron saw the look of glee and anger in his eyes when he described Luke's death by his hand, and it frightened him. Was it his fault that Markus was like this? Could he have done something differently? Maybe if he hadn't hid the prophecy from them for so long, maybe then...

Frowning, Chiron looked towards where Mr. D was supposed to be sitting. Ever since the god had left for the winter solstice meeting, he hadn't returned. At first, he assumed that it was because he was just trying to put off his duties. But something in his gut was telling him otherwise. But what could it be?

He sighed. "I know a demigod's life is never easy, but this is outrageous. Why can the gods not see what is happening? Why must their children suffer?"

Suddenly, a bright flash enveloped the room the room. Once the light faded, there stood Hermes in his usual get-up.

"Lord Hermes. What brings you here this morning?" Chiron asked, standing to bow.

"Uncle, please," Hermes said, raising a hand. "There is no need for honorifics between us. I have important news that I must deliver. If you could gather all of the amphitheatre, I'd be very grateful."

"Are these orders from Lord Zeus himself?" Chiron asked, curious as to why all of this was happening.

Hermes grimaced. "Actually, from Lord Poseidon." At Chiron's confused face, he sighed. "Trust me, it'll make much more sense when everyone is called up."

"Are things that bad, my lor- Hermes?" Chiron asked, looking a bit unsure at addressing the god casually.

Hermes made a face. "To most, yes. But for Olympus, it's actually a good thing. Even though I don't agree with how it went."

Confused, Chiron stood up to round up the campers.

 **XXX**

Chiron went to the dining pavilion, where he knew the campers would be for breakfast. Standing at the centre, he pounded his hoof loudly, catching all of their attention. "Campers, your attention, please!"

Silence immediately followed from everyone, all eyes on the centaur.

"Once breakfast is finished, every camper is to make his or her way to the amphitheatre. There are no exceptions to this, attendance is mandatory."

With that, Chiron galloped away, leaving the campers, save for a select few, confused.

The demigods made their way to the amphitheatre, they saw Chiron standing at the centre. Just as he was about to say something, there was a bright flash of light. Hermes appeared, looking serious. There were mutters from the campers, thinking that this was serious if one of the Olympians were here to deliver news. The children of Hermes gave their father silent and discreet smiles. Seeing this, Hermes smiled and nodded back, before looking at the crowd in front of him.

"The reason you are all here today is to be told of the recent developments that happened during the most last meeting," Hermes announced. "You may or may not know but the quest group was successful in rescuing Artemis from the Titan stronghold. Unfortunately, there were some events afterwards that weren't exactly... pleasant. That is why I would like Markus Henderson to come up and give a quick summary as to what these events entail of."

Grumbling, Markus walked forward, standing beside Hermes. He shot the god a look, in which Hermes replied with a shrug, as if to say, _It's you're fault._

Markus looked back to the crowd, wondering how he was going to go about saying it. There was no easy way to say this. Many campers weren't going to be happy with him. All of them will possibly fear him, both due to his actions and true power. But they had to know.

Sighing, Markus said, "The events that Hermes speaks of is quite simple: when we went to Olympus, I promptly killed some of the gods and trashed Olympus. Specifically, Dionysus, Hera and Zeus. Oh, and I killed Ares and Heracles."

There was silence at his statement. Complete and utter silence. The shock was that big to the demigods. A minute passed. Two minutes followed. Finally, the silence was broken by utter chaos.

Every camper (apart from the ones that already knew this) started shouting at Markus, calling him a liar. Others yelled at him and called him an attention-seeker. Particularly those from Ares' and Dionysus' cabin. There was general screaming and shouting from the rest of the campers.

Hermes looked at Markus with an incredulous expression, and Markus just shrugged. There was no easy way he could put this. No amount of stalling would lessen the blow, so he decided to be blunt. Chiron himself was torn between staring at Markus with horror and trying to calm everyone down.

Finally, Markus had enough. "SHUT UP!" he roared, his voice reverberating across the camp like thunder. Instantly, everyone's mouth snapped shut at the sound, a few jumping in both shock and fright. Every eye was on Markus as he looked at each camper.

"I understand that what I've said is shocking," Markus said, his voice calm. Almost too calm. "I get that. I also get that some of you, practically all of you, don't believe me. That's fine. I will say this, however." Markus looked at each and every one of them. "I swear on the River Styx that what I've said is completely true."

The sky exploded with thunder as many campers looked stunned and horrified at what Markus had admitted to. They made to shout when Markus gave them a glare. "If you guys interrupt me, you won't know what happened."

At that, there were a few grumbles, but everyone went silent.

Nodding, Markus continued. "Now, the reason that I killed most of the Olympians is because of a number of reasons. Chief among them is that I was attacked first. I know that some of you don't think that's a valid reason, but to me it is. When I encountered the Hunters of Artemis, Artemis attacked me because of her arrogance. Once I defeated her, Apollo tried to drag me to Olympus, as you all saw. Then Hermes tried to do the same, and failed when I beat him in a race."

Hermes grumbled at that, but didn't say anything as Markus smirked at him. He ignored the shocked looks on the campers' faces and continued. "Following that, it was just one big contest of seeing who was going to kill me. After Aphrodite said something stupid to me, I realised that the Olympians were annoying, arrogant, stupid and so prideful that it wasn't even funny. Well, I already knew that, but at that moment, I actually acted on my impulses to kill them." At Hermes small glare, Markus looked at him. "Am I wrong?"

Huffing, Hermes looked away as Markus continued. "So, yeah. After the quest, I killed some of the Olympians and trashed Olympus. After that, I threatened the Olympians, and made sure that they would get their acts together and clean up their messes. Now, any questions?"

It was silent for a moment, before practically everyone's hands were raised.

Markus felt the urge to slap himself at his question. He should've realised that everyone would've had questions. He sighed, pointing at a particular person. "Yeah?"

"So, are you going to side with the Titans?" a boy of twelve years old asked. He didn't have any defining features that Markus caught, so he didn't know who's child he was. He did look sleepy, however. Like he was going to pass out from fatigue any second now.

Everyone looked at him, and the boy felt like he was going to shrink in on himself as all eyes were on him. "I-I mean, you killed the Olympians, right? S-So-"

"What's your name?" Markus asked, interrupting the boy.

Blushing, the boy said, "M-Michael."

"Are you one of the residents of the Hestia cabin?"

At his shy nod, Markus smiled a little. "To answer your question, Michael, no. I'm not joining the Titans. If I was planning on joining the Titans, I would've killed _all_ of the Olympians, and left Camp Half-Blood. And since none of those things have happened, I haven't joined the Titans." At Michael's nod, Markus looked at the rest of them. "Anyone else?"

"You killed our parents!" Clarisse yelled, stepping forward angrily. She brushed off the hands trying to pull her back. "What the fuck do you expect us to say?!"

Markus looked at Clarisse, and suddenly the girl felt small. Insignificantly small. "Clarisse, I've already given you my reason for killing the gods I've mentioned. As for Ares..." Markus frowned, trying to remember how he killed Ares. "Actually, I don't even remember killing Ares. Why did I kill him?"

In the crowd, Percy and Thalia coughed, getting his attention. "You, uh, got pissed at what Aphrodite said to you," Percy answered.

Markus frowned, before nodding slowly. "Right. Actually, that makes a lot of sense."

"You bastard!" Clarisse yelled, brandishing her spear. "You don't even remember killing him?!"

"No. He was just that pathetic," Markus said bluntly, looking at Clarisse. "Now, put your spear down."

"You-" " **Put. It. Down** ," Markus said calmly, his voice full of bloodlust. Clarisse stiffened, as did the rest of them. They remembered the last time he had spoken in that tone. None of them wanted to experience what followed after.

Clarisse put her spear away as Markus looked at the fearful crowd. "No questions? None?" Seeing no one put up their hand, he continued. "I know that the children of Ares and Dionysus are angry at me. I understand that. But I'm not going to apologise. I've done what I've did, and I don't regret it. I'm actually thankful for it. Which brings you to what Hermes has to say."

"Um, thank you, Markus," Hermes said, trying to do his best to settle the audience. Markus walked off the stage, going back to his original position. Campers fled from his side like the plague, but Markus wasn't bothered by this. He stood by Silena's side, who looked at him in shock and worry. Markus wrapped an arm around her, doing his best to ease her.

Now the next order of business may surprise some of you but we are at war," Hermes announced, further shocking the audience. "Yes, the Titans are - or have in some cases - risen. We on Olympus are preparing for war and we need for you demigods to do the same. It will not be easy; war is never easy but if the Titans win, the world as you know it will end. I will answer one question on this subject before we continue."

At this, the assembled demigods began to debate what question to ask the messenger god. Finally, Malcolm from the Athena cabin stepped forth and asked, "Lord Hermes, it seems the question most demigods have is can we win a war with the Titans? Due to...," Malcolm looked at Markus, who raised an eyebrow in return. "Um, due to the lowered numbers of the gods?"

"Honestly, if this had of been a few days ago I would have told you there was no way in Hades we can win," Hermes said, shocking the audience at his bluntness. "I truly believed that. But now things have changed. Markus Henderson's actions, while brutal, have led to us receiving a wake-up call. Our numbers may be few, but our minds are clear. So yes, I think we can win this war if everyone does what he or she is supposed to do and that includes us, gods, as well."

Once again the demigods mumbled amongst themselves at hearing the answer from Hermes.

"Quiet!" he yelled, again ceasing all chatter. "Alright, the next order of business is, as of the last meeting, there are now two new Olympian gods. Both Hades and Hestia were given their rightful place on Olympus. It was a unified vote-" Markus coughed from where he stood, muttered "bullshit" "-but we have decided that we gods cannot continue doing things the way we were, for it will only lead to the end of civilisation and the Fifth Age. As before, I will answer one question."

This time, Will Solace stepped forward. "Lord Hermes, while it is indeed great news that we have two new Olympians, what does this mean for the camp?" he asked.

"The only effect this will have on camp is that Hades will now have a cabin at camp for his children. They are to be treated like every other camper. For too long, Hades' children have been outcast because of who their father is, so they are to have the same training and opportunities that you do," Hermes stated.

This time there were a lot of negative muttering coming from the campers. One even said aloud, "No way we're allowing devil spawn to be in the camp."

After hearing that, Markus gave a furious glare to the one who'd said that, making him squeak and drop to the ground in fright. Everyone stared at the scene. "Do not blame the children for the sins of the parent," Markus said to the demigod who'd spoken. Everyone listened to his words. "Hades isn't even that bad. Sure, he's an asshole from time to time, but his job doesn't make him evil. Gloomy and boring, maybe, but not evil. So don't go insulting children because of that, or I'll plant several dumbass trees around camp."

The demigod, as well as others, shivered at that threat, and nodded frantically, looking like bobbleheads.

Hermes continued from where he'd left off. "Markus is correct. Hades is not evil, despite what others may say. Neither are his children. For this to work, we need for you demigods to keep an open mind. Believe it or not, we all are trying to change for the better and make amends for past transgressions. And this just the start of what he hopes to accomplish for us gods, you demigods, and the world."

The assembled demigods sat in stunned silence at what they have just heard when suddenly a hand went into the air. That hand belonged to Lou Ellen.

"May I help you?" Hermes asked.

"Yes, Lord Hermes," the daughter of Hecate said. "I apologise for this but I must ask; it is all well in good that the gods are trying to make amends to Lord Hades and Lady Hestia, but what about the minor gods? The Hestia cabin is amazing, and we're thankful for Markus and the others building it, but how is that making amends to us? Or making up for past transgression against our parents?"

"I understand your frustration, child. And I was just about to get to the last reason of why we are all here," Hermes answered. "It has also decreed that all minor gods will have a cabin built here at camp so that they may claim their children. You may thank Markus Henderson for that, actually." Markus grunted as all eyes were on him. "For too long, the Olympian gods have taken the minor gods for granted, and thought ourselves above them when nothing can be further from the truth. All children of the minor gods will be recognised and trained in the use of their powers, as are the children of the Olympian gods. From now, on a godly parent is a godly parent, no parent is better than another."

At this, the demigods cheered. But none louder than the demigod children of the minor gods. Markus smiled seeing this.

"Quiet!" Hermes exclaimed, making the audience quickly shut their mouths.

"Thank you. It is unfortunate that this comes with some bad news as well," Hermes stated, a sad look on his face. "It has been discovered that some of the minor gods have joined the Titans side for this war. But… it has been decreed that because this was done due to Zeus' previous treatment towards them that, should they decide to come back to our side or are captured during the war, they will be given the opportunity to redeem themselves. I will take one question."

Quickly Lou stood up and asked, "Lord Hermes, with all due respect, how do we know that this is not just some ploy to get our parents to fight the Titans and then have things return to how they were before?"

"That is a very intelligent question, child," Hermes nodded, smiling. "But I'm afraid I cannot answer it. So I will let someone who can."

A flash of light appeared beside Hermes on the stage. When it cleared, there stood a figure no one was expecting.

Everyone, Markus included, looked in shock as Poseidon, god of the seas, stood there, dressed in a royal attire. No longer was he wearing his usual beach clothes. Now, he stood with celestial bronze armour, studded with sea pearls adorning his chest. Images of shells, pearls, coral and waves coated his armour. In his hand was his trident, which glowed with immense power. Adorning his head was a magnificently large crown, gleaming with power and authority. On his face was a smile, his features both welcoming and powerful.

Markus' jaw dropped when he looked at the crown. He didn't know _Poseidon_ was going to be elected the new king of the gods. Sure, it made sense, but his dad never wanted the throne. Why now?

The other demigods were stunned at the new reveal. Lou stuttered, staring wide-eyed. "L-Lord Poseidon, I m-meant no d-disrespect." She bowed lowly.

Poseidon shook his head. "Rise, child." Lou got back up, confused. "Relax, I have heard your question and it is indeed a fair question and have come to answer it. If that is alright with you." At Lou's nod, he spoke to the crowd.

"For those of you who don't know, I have been voted as the new king of the gods. It is not a position I particularly wanted, but it is one I will hold and make good. My fallen brother, Zeus, has showed me and us how his actions as king of the gods has affected everything. From the attitude and actions of the demigods and minor gods, to how my very own family acts. If Zeus had continued to rule, we would've lost the war before it started.

"That is why, under my rule, there will be a better future for the mortals, you demigods, and the gods," Poseidon said, his voice rising in volume and passion. "And I do mean all the gods. None of the mistakes my brother made will be repeated by me, I promise you. Does that answer your question?" At Lou's shaky nod, he smiled.

"I must be off young demigods, as we are preparing for war," Poseidon said as he flashed out, winking as he did so. Markus had only one thing to say to that: "The paperwork for him is going to be massive."

"May I have your attention, so that this will be finished," Hermes said, getting all eyes back on him. "This is what will happen claimed children of the minor gods. Please get together and see how many of you are siblings. Once you do select a cabin leader, that leader please meet with the Athena and Hephaestus cabins to see about designing and building your cabins. As for those who are unclaimed, do not worry. We are encouraging all minor gods to claim their children and even if you are not claimed you still have a place and will even have a bed. If any of you have any questions, simply ask to me or pray to Lord Poseidon, and they will be answered. Thank you."

With that, Hermes joined the Hephaestus and Athena children to sort out the children and help build their cabins. During this, everyone smiled, feeling like this war can be won.

 **XXX**

"You never told me about you killing gods," Silena said, looking at Markus. The two laid on her bed in the Aphrodite cabin, having been left alone for the most part. Largely due to the now present fear of Markus that the campers now had.

Markus sighed, looking into her baby-blue eyes. "I didn't tell you because it was eventually going to come out. And it did. I also planned to tell you about, um, disfiguring your mum's face."

"... What?" was all Silena said, before Markus began explaining to her what had happened. At the end of it, Silena's face became stony. She sighed, unable to say anything for a few minutes. Finally, she said, "I don't blame you. For what you did. In fact, I'm so angry at her, I probably would've done the same thing."

Markus laughed at that, imagining Silena trying to disfigure her mum's face. "That'd be a lovely thought."

Silena snuggled into his side. "I'm not sure whether to be happy or angry that you didn't kill her," she admitted. "Mum, she's... like the other gods, she's never been there for us. Some of us can tell that she tries, and we love her for it, but she's never fully there. I was one of the few who resented her for it. That was..." Silena took a deep breath. "That was probably the reason why I initially spied for the Titans. I felt so... unloved. Unwanted. But now," looking at Markus, she smiled, kissing him on the lips, "maybe there can be hope for us after all."

Markus nodded, hugging her close. The two laid in bed, perfectly happy with snuggling with each other. After a while of just laying there, Silena asked him, "So, what are you going to do about Annabeth?"

At that question, Markus choked on his spit, having not expected that. After recovering, he frowned. Unfortunately, Annabeth was one of the campers who feared him for his actions. Killing Luke made her practically ignore him. Stacking it on top of his killing the Olympians, and she avoided him like the plague. He sighed sadly. "I don't know."

Silena hugged him, knowing how much this was hurting him. Annabeth wasn't just one of his close friends. She was the girl that he loved along with Thalia, Katie and Silena. Seeing her act like this was eating at him, and she hated seeing him like this. "She'll come around. She knows that what you did practically saved the camp."

Markus scoffed. "She won't see it that way. I basically took away her older brother/crush, and committed deicide. The only redeeming factors are that I didn't kill her mother, and my actions saved the camp and helped the children of the minor gods." He smiled grimly. "Well done, Markus. You have a girl hating you for saving the day. Fan-fucking-tastic."

He felt Silena hug him harder. She didn't know what to say. No words of comfort to make him feel better. She knew that Markus' actions, while brutal, helped the camp tremendously, but at the cost of one of them making Annabeth hate him and the other making her fear him. She kissed his neck. "Let's go to sleep for a while. We can train together, get your mind off of things."

Markus frowned as he looked at her. "You hate my training."

"I know."

Markus smiled, kissing her lightly. "Thank you," he said, smiling. The two drifted off to sleep, content with where they laid.

 **XXX**

As Markus slept, he was brought into a dream. Again. This time, it was a somewhat normal dream this time.

He was brought to the Shinto temple that he had trained in with Susanoo. Markus surveyed the scene, remembering all the good times he had training here.

"You truly are unpredictable," a familiar voice said from behind him. He turned around to see Susanoo standing there, wearing his usual attire.

"Susanoo-sama," Markus greeted. "How are you?"

"A bit overwhelmed, but I'll manage," the god answered. At Markus' questioning face, he elaborated. "Your stunt throughout your quest has affected me. Specifically, you killing the fallen angel, and you and your friends killing the Shinto demigods."

"How is the former a problem for you?" Markus asked, confused.

Susanoo gave him a deadpanned look. "The Shinto gods saw your light-show. In fact, I think practically every available pantheon saw it. I got a lot of complaints coming from Amaterasu and Izanagi. Not to mention the gods whose children you killed."

"They attacked us first. We can't be blamed for that," Markus defended.

"And I understand that. That's the same argument I've used. And while a good number agree with me, there are a few who are angry at you and your friends."

"Which gods specifically?" Markus asked, feeling nervous. He could take on any god, but he didn't want his friends getting caught in Shinto affairs.

"Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Kagutsuchi and Suijin are the ones who have no problem with what happened," Susanoo explained. "They're a little miffed, but understand that their children attacked you first. However, Fūjin and Raijin are furious at you, and want your head. As well as the ones who killed them."

Markus frowned, annoyed at gods who wanted to kill him for no good reason. They were attacked first! Why the fuck were they angry when actually the Olympians should be the ones furious? "And what about you?" Markus asked. "I know Christopher was your son?"

Susanoo sighed sadly. Markus remembered when he talked to Susanoo during the quest, and how sad he'd been when he talked about the Shinto demigods.

"I will cope," he managed to say. "Christopher was wayward, and sometimes foolish. But, I still love him. I don't blame you for your actions. You were well in your right to kill them." Even as he said this, he looked ready to break down.

Markus wanted to comfort his patron, but found that he didn't know how. Saying sorry wasn't going to solve anything. He couldn't physically touch him, so hugging was out. So he settled for what he did best: being blunt and rude. "So, will I have to worry about Fūjin and Raijin trying to kill me?"

Susanoo looked at him for a moment, befuddled. But then he smiled, realising what Markus was doing. "No. Izanagi is being strict about us crossing over into other pantheons, after seeing the consequences of our demigods doing so. So you won't have to worry about fighting them, not unless you come to Japan. However," here, Susanoo's face turned grim, "be on the lookout for Izanagi."

Markus sighed, wanting to know why he was dealing with all this. Couldn't things just be simple for him? Couldn't he catch a break? But no. People have to complicate things. "What does he want?"

"He wants to meet with you. He's not happy that I've acquired a champion from the Greek pantheon. Not only that, but he's also wishing to punish me for your actions of killing the Olympians."

Markus was now fuming. "But that was my choice! You don't have to be blamed for me killing them! You weren't even there!"

Susanoo smiled thinly. "I know. But because of you practically decimating the central gods of a pantheon, waves have been sent through the world. Now, all eyes will be on you. And not just from our pantheon. Everyone knows of your power, your fight with Samael _and_ you killing most of the Olympians. People are starting to form their opinions of you."

"And what _are_ those opinions?" Markus asked, exasperated.

"Some are calling you a hero for killing Zeus, as almost no one liked him in many pantheons." Markus scowled at that. "Others are calling you a monster. Those are the ones who fear you. Many are simply observing you and wondering if you'll attack other pantheons. Even our own pantheon is afraid of you, although they're very few. Some people are even gifted you with a new title."

Markus just sighed at what he was told. Great, gods and supernatural beings and monsters haven't even met him, and he's already getting judged. He wasn't really big on attention. He perked up at the last sentence. "Title? What title?"

"The Leviathan," Susanoo answered.

Markus blinked at that. Leviathan? That sounded... actually, that sounded awesome. "That is actually a pretty badass title," Markus commented, grinning. "So, 'Son of Poseidon', 'Champion of Susanoo', 'King of Heroes', and now 'The Leviathan'. I'm basically being given awesome titles."

"Not to mention 'Hero of the Unclaimed'," Susanoo added with a smirk.

Markus scowled. "That's not a title I'm taking, and you damn well know that."

Susanoo chuckled, before schooling his features. "Yes, while your title is quite fitting, just be aware that with that title, comes challenges. Many beings and deities will probably fear you, or want to fight you. The latter because they see you as a challenge."

"So, they want a piece of me? Is that it?" Markus bemoaned, grunting at the thought. Seriously? Why couldn't he be left alone?!

Susanoo shrugged. "The benefits of being both powerful and mortal. Just be careful, Markus. And do not worry about Izanagi. I will do my best to delay the meeting."

"Thanks, but please don't try to get into trouble for me." When the god was about to argue, Markus interjected. "Please?"

Sighing, he nodded. With that, Markus' consciousness went back to his body, waving the god goodbye.

 **XXX**

Markus was holed up in his cabin, reading up on one of the several books that Hecate had gifted him with. The reason she had given him these books was because of the her new cabin. Even though he helped with the making of the cabins, she still said that she was grateful for his actions.

In fact, from what she'd said, practically all the minor gods were grateful to him, either through his suggestion (read: threat) to the Olympians, or him killing Zeus. Either way, he was glad that they were able to get the respect they deserved.

The cabins took only a day to be built. The reason that it was so short was because Markus decided to chip in, using speed clones and magic to quicken the process. Currently, practically all the gods had cabins: Hecate, Morpheus, Hypnos, Eris, Iris, etc. Even Hades had gotten himself a cabin, something in which the di Angelo siblings would hopefully occupy soon enough.

Markus would never forget the tears and shouts of joy every child of the minor god had when they entered their cabins. Nor could he forget the numerous amount of hugs and thanks he received from them. And while he would forever deny it, he found all the gestures nice.

Many of the previous occupants of the Hestia still paid their respects to the goddess, and would always remember her for what she'd done for them, which Markus found important. He also planned to get in touch with Hestia, since he hadn't seen her in a while.

He mentally refocused on the tome in front of him, which was on alchemy. Markus found the subject interesting, as he had never actually picked up on it. He always found challenges in magic to be exciting, whether he excelled at it or not. He had one hand hold the book open while the other was used to try and recreate some transmutation circles on sheets of paper. So far, he was unsuccessful. But that was fine. He'd get it eventually.

A knock on the cabin door interrupted his thoughts and work. Grumbling, Markus stood up and walked to the door, thinking if he could yell at the person to go away. When he opened the door, he found that he couldn't.

"I knew I'd find you here," Katie said, a knowing smile on her face.

Markus sighed. "Hello, Katie. How are-" He wasn't able to finish as Katie pushed him into the cabin and gave him a slow, simple kiss as a greeting. Markus responded back, only separating after a few moments. "Well, it looks like you're fine."

"Mmmhmm," Katie hummed. "I actually need you to come with me for a minute."

Markus frowned, "Can it wait? I'm in the middle of something."

Katie frowned in response, crossing her arms. "Oh, no. 'I'm in the middle of something' usually means that you'll stay in your cabin for hours and hours and hours until we come get you."

"I don't take _that_ long when I'm on my own," Markus said, looking confused.

"You spend so long in your cabin, we assumed you were going to eventually camp here," Katie said with a deadpanned look. "Look, you're even growing a beard."

Markus checked the stubble on his chin, to see that it actually did grow. He frowned in thought. "Huh. Who would've thunk it?"

"Exactly. Which is why I want you to help me with my plants." At Markus' reluctant look, she pouted. "Please? It is my turn today."

What she was talking about was the list Katie, Silena and Thalia drafted together, to see who'd spend the day with Markus. Yesterday was Silena's turn. Thalia's birthday was the day before, so she automatically got her turn. Now it was Katie's. Markus didn't understand why there was a need for a list. He'd happily spend the day with all of them. Alas, he'd never understand the minds of women, even though he had a harem.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll go help you. I need some fresh air anyways."

At Katie's beaming smile, Markus summoned a speed clone to take care of his work. With that, the two walked to the garden for the Demeter children. As they walked, they could feel eyes on Markus. Some of the gazes held a lot of fear and a bit of resentment. Others held hero worship and respect. Katie made to say something to the people who looked at him in fear, but Markus grabbed her shoulder. "Don't."

"But-" "I understand why their afraid of me. I even understand if they hate me. It doesn't matter. I don't care about any of it. As long as you and the others don't fear me, I'm glad."

With that, the two walked to the Demeter cabin. Markus went and rummaged in a nearby toolshed, picking up some tools and knelt next to Katie, who had already gotten started. Markus had cleared the snow from the garden, making sure that none of it affected the plants. Katie's long bronze hair was tied in a ponytail, her body was flecked with dirt and mud as she attacked a particularly resilient patch of weeds. Markus smiled at her, drinking in her beauty. Even while getting dirty picking roots, she was still beautiful. Picking up his own tools, he helped her.

"Make sure you get the roots," she grunted, violently swinging her hoe.

"Uh huh," Markus nodded, smiling at her as he did so. He never really saw himself as a gardening guy, but he admitted that it was nice, in a quiet sort of way.

They went at it for an hour, both enjoying the closeness between them and the work. The cold air made it hard for Katie to work, but he just casted a warming charm on her, heating her up. He also did the same thing for the plants, making sure that they were still alive from the cold weather.

After unsuccessfully pulling another root, Markus scowled. "Can't you just use your powers to do the work for you?"

Katie gave him a surprising glare that actually managed to scare him a little. "I prefer doing them this way," she managed to say, after finishing glaring. She looked back to her plants. "Besides, my powers wouldn't work anyway," she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Markus had finished his own bit, glad that it was actually cold outside. He didn't want to be sweating afterwards. He dashed towards the cabin store at superspeed, coming back three seconds later with some hot chocolate. He managed to see Katie successfully pull her own weeds out. She looked up, smiling as she saw the hot drink. Markus handed her one, and the two made their way to sit at the side.

As they drank their drink, Katie leaned against him, sighing happily. Feeling this, Markus wrapped an arm around her, simply content.

"The camp looks much better now that there's more cabins," she said after a moment. Markus hummed in thought. "It does," he finally said.

"You did a good thing," Katie said with a smile. "You should be proud of that, Mr. 'Hero of the Unclaimed'."

"I will literally drown someone who says that to my face," Markus muttered, scowling. Katie only laughed at his threat, making him scowl even more.

He sighed, giving up on her. A thought came to his mind. "I can't believe I forgot to ask: what would you like for Christmas?"

Katie blinked, a little surprised at the question. "Uh, what?"

"What would you like for Christmas?" he repeated slowly.

"I... don't know," she finally answered. "We don't usually get each other stuff for Christmas at camp."

Markus frowned. "Seriously? Nothing?"

"Well, we get gifts from the camp store, and the arts and crafts prizes..." She stopped at seeing Markus' frown. She sighed. "Okay, so it's not perfect, but we're happy with what we get."

"Okay, intervention time," Markus said, standing up. He looked down at her, grinning. Be right back!" He dashed away, going right outside of camp, leaving Katie stumped.

"Did... did he just ditch me?" she asked, annoyed.

 **XXX**

Today was 25 December, Christmas Day. The camp was covered in a blanket of snow. Frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and a fire flickered in the attic window of the Big House, where the Oracle dwelt.

In the centre of the camp stood a massive Christmas tree, decorated with a large amounts of lights, ornaments and other trinkets. It was a beautiful sight.

Cabin Five were having a small snowball fight with the tree nymphs. Well, it was _supposed_ to be small, but it quickly escalated. Soon, many other campers had joined in on the fight, having a good time.

In the arts and crafts room, Markus was watching a gingerbread competition going on. He wore a red Santa hat with a red jacket, blinking with Christmas lights. He watched, exasperated, as Cabin Six went at it. They were the most enthusiastic about it, their three members practically all over the place to get supplies. Chief amongst them was Annabeth, who was barking orders at her siblings as they did their best to win.

Markus looked at Percy, who was wearing a similar outfit to him. The only exception was that he looked like an elf. "I can't believe their all obsessing over a gingerbread contest."

Percy shrugged, laughing a little as a Cabin Seven member slipped on some stray frosting on the ground. "Well, yeah. The grand prize _is_ a twenty drachma gift card for the gift store."

"... But it's not like it'll buy you anything of value!" Markus argued, confused. Why was everyone so enthusiastic?! "I could practically buy the entire gift store."

"Not everyone is stupid rich," Percy countered.

Markus scoffed. "Oh, please. All I'm saying is that the entire thing is just stupid."

"You think almost every fun thing is stupid."

"But that's because it is!"

"Seems like you two are getting into this," Will said from behind. The two brothers looked to see the son of Apollo dressed in a Santa costume himself.

Percy just jerked a thumb to Markus' direction. "He's just being a sourpuss."

"Screw you, Blue Boy. It's not like I have to like this," Markus replied, crossing his arms in a huff.

The three boys saw that time was quickly running out. Everyone was scrambling to rush their projects. When the timer sounded out, it was evident who had won.

Will punched the air in happiness at seeing his cabin win. "Boo-yah! Cabin Seven wins!"

Markus rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. It's just a stupid competition."

"Apparently, none of them think so," Percy noted, pointing at the now sad campers.

Markus frowned, seeing Annabeth's sad face. Honestly, she looked like a kicked puppy. He sighed, walking over to her. Seeing those, Will blinked in surprise while Percy frowned.

When he went up to the Cabin Six members, Annabeth's siblings saw him and gave him a glare, trying to scare him away. He gave them a bigger glare, watching them scurry away. Markus then walked up to Annabeth and patted her shoulder.

Whirling around, she saw that it was him. She blinked, shock on her face. And then anger. She made to leave, but Markus had a firm grip on her shoulder. She looked like she was about to hit him. "Let go."

"No," Markus replied, making her look at him. "Annabeth, come on. So you didn't win the gingerbread competition. So what? You're still awesome at, like, a million other stuff."

"I'm not mad about it," she mumbled petulantly.

Markus scoffed. "Yeah, sure you aren't. Look, I can tell that you're still angry about Luke-" Annabeth bristled but didn't say anything else "-but can you please just forget about it for one day? It's Christmas. 'Tis the season to be jolly and all that jazz."

Seeing her stony face, he sighed dramatically. "Guess you won't be getting your Christmas present."

Annabeth's neck moved so fast, it looked like she snapped it. "Christmas present?"

"Oh, yes. A marvellous gift, it was. Unfortunately, you're still mad at me. So, I'll just take my leave."

"... Get back here, Markus!" she yelled, running after the cackling demigod as he ran away. The others watched, befuddled.

The two made it to where the snowball fight was commencing. "I swear to the gods, Markus! If you don't give me my present, I am going to- OOF!" She was interrupted by a snowball to the face.

Markus laughed, seeing her snow-covered face glaring daggers at him. The others stopped, looking at the scene before him.

"Dude," Mark from Ares' cabin said to him. "You'd better run."

"Naw," Markus waved away, looking at Annabeth carry a snowball in her hand. "I can handle her." He promptly dodged each and every snowball aimed at him. As she joined in, Annabeth's scowl faded away into a smile, and then into a laugh. Guess snow was just that magical. Everyone was laughing, enjoying the snowball fight and not caring who won.

After everyone got tired and was completely covered in snow, Markus took Annabeth by the hand and took her away. Once they went away far enough, Markus looked at Annabeth. "So, you want your present now?"

Sighing, Annabeth nodded reluctantly. "I do. And..." She hesitated. "I'm sorry, for ignoring you. And getting mad at you. It's just..."

"I understand," Markus comforted, even though he didn't. But he didn't say that to her. "How about we just forget about it today? I don't like stalling."

"Fine," Annabeth relented. "Now, show me."

Smiling, Markus held out his hand. Appearing in his hand were a set of earrings. However, these weren't normal earrings. Annabeth gasped at the beauty of them. They were made from pure gold, with hints of bronze to them. They were beautiful ornaments with two large ovals of gold to them. However, that wasn't what caught her attention.

Playing in the oval mirrors were scenes of beautiful owls flying, hooting happily. Then the images switched to famous buildings and monuments; from the Statue of Liberty, to the Parthenon, to statues of various gods in Greece.

"Markus, t-they're beautiful," Annabeth managed to say.

He smiled. "I know. The good thing about them is that they help you boost your intelligence." At _Annabeth's_ shocked look, he continued. "They also help you increase your understanding about architecture. From statues, buildings, monuments, etc. Not to mention that it'll help you with a bunch of-"

He was interrupted by the girl practically wrapping him in a giant hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Markus chuckled, hugging her back. After a few minutes passed, Annabeth separated from him, blushing madly. "S-So, uh..."

Markus rolled his eyes. "Just let me put them on for you." He then proceeding to place the earrings on her ears. She turned to look at him, smiling beautifully. "Thank you, Markus. Thank you so much."

He grinned. "Oh? You think this is over? Not yet. I have a bigger surprise for you."

Annabeth blinked, excitement in her eyes. "Really? What is it?"

"Hello, daughter," a voice said from behind her. Both of them turned to see that it was Athena who had spoken.

"M-Mother?" Annabeth breathed out, eyes wide. The goddess was wearing a white Greek toga that started from her shoulder. Her black hair fell freely from her shoulders, and her grey eyes shone with happiness at Annabeth.

"Yes, it is me. May you come with me for a moment? I need your help in recreating Olympus."

Annabeth's eyes couldn't get any wider, especially after hearing that. "Y-You need m-my help? Why?"

Athena looked to Markus with a stony gaze. The son of Poseidon just raised an eyebrow.

Turning to her daughter, she said, "I... figured that since Olympus is still somewhat... well, trashed, we need to redecorate it. Plus, you _are_ aspiring to be an architect, are you not?"

Practically stunned into silence, Annabeth turned to Markus, who had a knowing smile. Before she could say anything, he said, "Just go already. There's no thanks needed, really. Just go."

Annabeth slowly nodded, an excited smile on her face. She gave him another powerful hug, before running to her mother. Markus looked at the goddess expectantly. Athena had a frown on her face, indicating her displeasure. He then glared at her, nudging his head towards Annabeth.

Turning to look at her daughter, she wrapped the girl in a hug. "... Merry Christmas, Annabeth."

Annabeth couldn't believe the amount of surprises that she was receiving. She wrapped her arms around the goddess. "M-Merry Christmas."

With that, Markus gave a smile and walked away, already looking away from the flash of light, signifying that the two had teleported away.

Markus joined Will, Percy and Beckendorf as they all sipped some eggnog. The Christmas party was going strong, and everyone was in a festive mood. Chiron was seen trotting around, wearing a Santa beard and hat that made mostly everyone laugh. He looked like Santa with horse legs.

Cabin Ten was practically skipping around, shoving boys and girls together and holding sprigs of mistletoe over their heads, trying to spread the love as always. Beside them, Silena was wearing a Ms. Claus outfit that made Markus practically gawk at her. A Santa hat was on her head, as well as the red coat. However, the coat was a little tight on her, allowing her curvy figure to be shown. Not to mention that she had candy cane coloured stockings that showcased her long legs.

He saw Cabin Ten place mistletoes over Silena's head and push random boys near her. He growled, a possessive look in his eyes. Just as he saw the boys lean in to kiss her - with her moving away at each turn - Markus summoned some snow to pelt them viciously. One particular horny boy was pelted right in the balls by a hardened snowball. He cried out in agony as nearby boys paled at that. Silena turned to look at Markus, an amused look on her face.

As everyone get into the festive cheer, he saw Katie practically dragging Thalia to the party, both wearing Christmas clothing that looked good on them. Markus finished his eggnog and walked towards the two, chuckling as he saw Thalia try to escape and Katie holding her.

"I guess she's not a fan of parties," Markus commented, looking at the two. Katie smiled while Thalia grunted.

"I hate being all... dolled up," Thalia admitted, frowning as she crossed her arms. "Not to mention that this... thing-"

"Doesn't have black?" he finished for her, smiling. Katie laughed.

"Exactly!" Thalia nodded in agreement, not caring that he was joking.

Smiling, Markus wrapped his arms around her. "Doesn't matter. You still look beautiful in that."

Blushing, Thalia did her best to look grumpy. "Stop sweet-talking me."

"How can I be sweet-talking you if it's true. And yes," Markus said, looking to see that Katie was about to open her mouth to say something. "You're beautiful as well."

"Glad that you remembered that," she nodded, smiling.

"Like I would forget that," Markus said. All three of them looked up, hearing that a slow song was being played. Markus frowned from where the children on Apollo played, seeing some Cabin Ten members whisper in their ears. "Of course," he muttered. He then saw that some couples were starting to get into the slow song, quickly dancing with each other.

A smile appeared on his face. "Oh, Thalia ~"

"No," she denied instantly, crossing her arms. "You're not making me." She faltered at the gleam in his eyes. Grabbing her hand, he dragged her to the dance floor. "No! Markus, I swear to the gods that if you don't let go of me, I am going to murder you!"

Laughing like an idiot, Markus brought her to the dance floor. Thalia made to escape, but Markus wrapped his arms around her waist, trapping her. She glared at him. "I don't know how to dance, moron!"

"Neither do I," he admitted, shocking her. "But I want to cherish this moment with you."

Thalia shuffled a bit, looking embarrassed as they were already moving to the tempo of the music. "But everybody will be watching," she admitted shyly.

Markus smiled at her, finding her shy front cute. "I don't care. Let them look. I just want to be here with you. That's all that matters. Now, put your arm around my neck..."

With that, the two began to slow dance, both looking happy. They both stepped on each others feet a lot, but they managed to dance.

Thalia smiled, a little happy at the moment the two were having. All of the couples danced to the song 'Let It Snow', which was slowed down for the dancing. As the two looked into each others eyes, Markus could see a lot of boys and girls dancing, shuffling a bit through all of the snow. He smiled at the scene, finding it to be enjoyable.

As the two were dancing, Thalia suddenly blushed. "Uh, Markus?" She pointed up at the mysteriously hanging mistletoe above them. In fact, many mistletoes were hanging above several couples, following them as they went.

Markus suspected that the Hecate children had a hand in this, along with the Aphrodite children. Looking up at the mistletoe, then back at Thalia, he smiled at her blush. "We d-don't have to kiss," she said. "I wouldn't want the Katie and Silena to get jeal- MMMPH."

She was interrupted as Markus quickly leaned forward and gave her a kiss. She was shocked, trying to pull back, but Markus didn't let her go, only deepening the kiss. There was some cheering from the other side of the dance floor, but Markus ignored it.

Eventually, Thalia began to kiss back. The two had their tongue's dancing between each other, swapping saliva. Markus wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, the two still slow dancing to the music. After a while, the two separated, looking into each others eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Thalia," Markus said, smiling widely.

Thalia smiled slightly. "Merry Christmas, Markus."

The two leaned forward again, kissing softly. Again, they both heard cheering from some crowd, but they ignored them for the moment.

After a while, Markus danced with Silena, Thalia sitting beside Katie, slightly out of breath. Although, before she could rest, she was swarmed by a bunch of Cabin Ten members, wanting gossip. Thalia made a threat about shocking all of them, and they backed off.

"You do know that you didn't need to pelt those guys with snow, right?" Silena told Markus as they danced.

Markus shrugged, noting that Silena was amazing at slow dancing. Huh, you learn something new every day. "I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I'm very possessive."

"I know that," she laughed, twirling around as Markus spun her slightly. The song that was now playing, 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas', - the slow version - had the two dance with a step in their feet. "But really, you didn't have to. You know that I'll only kiss you, right?"

"Right," Markus smiled. He looked up and saw another mistletoe float above them. "Okay, I know Lou had a hand in this," Markus muttered. "No other child of Hecate is more mischievous." He sighed. "Oh, well. I guess we have to kiss now. Them the rules."

"You don't sound particularly sad about that," Silena noted, smiling. She leaned closer to whisper to him. "You don't care if people find out about us?"

"No," Markus answered. This was something that all three girls and Markus had discussed between them. Should they tell everybody about their relationship? Originally, they all wanted to keep it a secret. After all, they could imagine everybody's reaction. Many would label Markus as a pervert. Others would say that their relationships were fake. Others might not take it lightly. The rest, they didn't know about.

"You do know what'll happen, right?" Silena said with a worried expression on her face.

"I do," Markus answered, the two still dancing. "But it's not like I'm the most popular around here. People are either afraid of me, or hate me. Frankly, this might make things worse, but I already am of a low opinion around here. Might as well come out with it."

With that, Markus leaned forward and kissed her, with her responding back. There were some gasps from around them, but they didn't care. The two kissed with passion, their minds in their own world right now. They continued dancing, as well as kissing. Even as they separated for air, they still kissed again. It was only when the two were at the five-minute mark that Katie shoved in.

"Alright, you two lovers have had your turn, but I want my dance," she said, a little jealous at feeling left out. Markus looked to Silena, who's lips were slightly swollen. She smiled, rolling her eyes. "Oh, alright."

She left to join Thalia, the two ignoring the curious chatter from her siblings and others.

Markus danced with Katie next. Katie wasn't as proficient in slow dancing as Silena, but she wasn't as bad as Thalia. She held her arms around his neck, making her fingers crawl against Markus' skin, making shivers run down his spine.

"You're that eager?" Markus said with a raised eyebrow.

Katie shrugged. "Maybe I am. Watching you, Silena and Thalia kiss got me excited. Speaking of which..." Katie grabbed his face and kissed him, not even caring if there wasn't a mistletoe above them. Again, a number of gasps sounded, but the two didn't care. Markus wrapped his own arms around Katie tightly and returned the kiss.

After a while, the two separated. "So," Markus said, panting. "You want your gifts now?"

"Yeah," Katie answered, also panting. "But maybe away from here?"

"Definitely," he answered. With that, the two went over towards Katie and Thalia. All of them disappeared in a cloud of vapour, leaving some curious and shocked campers.

As the group got away, the opened their presents in private. Markus had gotten all three girls jewellery. For Silena, it was a bracelet with hearts made of pink sapphire. Adorning the bracelet were a splash of different colours, each representing different emotions. Markus explained that it was essentially a mood ring, which would help with her powers greatly. Along with that, he got her a pair of battle fans for her to use in combat, along with a book on how to use them.

For Thalia, he got her a necklace that was of equal beauty to Silena's bracelet. Adorning it were several lapis lazuli **(A.N. - I don't know the plural of the stone),** criss-crossing magnificently. Hanging off of it was also a skull with red eyes and crossbones, with a lightning bolt through it. He explained that it was a chain he got from Billie Joe, who had given it to him. The lightning bolt was the only addition. Along with that were several CDs from several of her favourite bands.

For Katie, he had gotten her an Ancient Greek anklet had emeralds adorning it. The gold that coated it shined as he gave it to her. Along with that, he gifted her several exotic flowers that he managed to get, from moonlace **(A.N. - No, it's not from Calypso's island)** , to rainbow orchids, to calla lily flowers, to other kinds that Markus managed to get for her.

For the girls, they gave him his gifts. From Silena, she managed to place a wardrobe in his cabin that was charmed to gift him with any stylish clothes that he could imagine, with different levels on it. From Thalia, she got him several CDs that were from his own favourite bands. From Katie, she managed to gift him blue roses. She explained that they were special flowers that her mother had given her to plant.

All three girls felt like what they had given wasn't enough, but Markus waved it away, saying that he didn't mind. He was just happy that he had gotten it from them. That earned him a round of kissing from each of them, since they were still grateful to him for their gifts.

As Markus enjoyed his own 'gifts', he thought of the surprise that he had given a certain camp. Hopefully, they weren't uptight about the whole thing.

 **XXX**

Reyna had gotten up, ready for her daily training. She knew that today was Christmas, but she didn't have any thoughts of celebrating it. Camp Jupiter never celebrated Christmas, partly due to them being, in some ways, uptight about a festive holiday. And partly due to it representing the birth of Jesus Christ. They weren't exactly sure the gods were okay with celebrating a holiday dedicated to another religion.

So that was why she was shocked as she witnessed the entire camp. Reyna never got surprised easily. In fact, ever since she stepped into Camp Jupiter, she'd never been surprised at all. Until today.

All she could see was white. The camp was practically covered in snow. The barracks, the Senate hall, the temples, everywhere. Even the statues of Terminus were coated in ice and snow, although given the god of boundaries' grumbling face and yells, he wasn't really happy about the whole ordeal.

There were several screams that caused Reyna to whirl around and see what was going on. To her disbelief, she saw several snowmen - actual, real-life snowmen - throw snowballs at several demigods and legacies. Most of them cried out in fear, praying to the gods to save them. This caused them to be pelted with even more snowballs.

A couple of younger kids started joining in on the fun, throwing snowballs at each other and laughing as well. Some even ran and gawked at the numerous Christmas trees and lights that were all over the place. Blinking Christmas lights flashed different colours as the children oohed and awed.

There were even a few Christmas trees hung up, flashing lights all over them. Beside one was a loudspeaker that boomed out Christmas songs and carols.

Several stern demigods and legacies from the First and Second Cohort started to make a ruckus, trying to disrupt both the mood and spirit. They were promptly pelted with snowballs from the snowmen in retaliation.

"Markus sure doesn't do things half-assed," a voice asked behind her. Reyna turned to see Jason standing beside her, smiling a little at the scene before him.

Reyna blinked. "How do you know this is Markus' doing?"

Jason held up a Christmas present in his hands that was wrapped. He grabbed the tag attached to it and read: "To Jason Grace. From the sexiest, badass and all-powerful Markus Henderson, the greatest, uh..." Jason blushed at the next words. "F-F-Fuck-mothering demigod there is."

Reyna blinked, and then chuckled at the message. "Now that you mention it, this does look like Markus' doing. Only he could pull something like this off." She turned to look at Jason with an expectant look. "I assume that he has delivered a present for me?"

Smiling, Jason gifted her with another present that was beside him.

Reyna had learned the joys that came with Christmas, and she enjoyed them immensely.

 **Done it! Finally, it's been almost three months since I've updated this story! Hope y'all liked it!**

 **Also, I've reached my 50th chapter for this story... I consider that a milestone for myself. Go me!**

 **Ahem, but anyways, here, we see how the camp reacts to the death of some of the Olympians, Susanoo's message about Markus' actions, and a Christmas miracle being performed for Camp Jupiter. Oh, as well as Camp Half-Blood. Awesome.**

 **Just a note, some of the next couple of chapters will be either filler, or side-quests. Pretty much self-explanatory, but just thought I should note it.**

 **Don't have a lot to say, so I guess I'll move onto Guest reviewing time. It's been a while though, so I may have not responded to some of you (if I know you, and I haven't, there's probably a reason for that):**

 **1) Curses sound like a good idea, especially learning how to cure some curses of those affected by the gods. Although DxD elements may stick to the DxD Universe when he travels there. Not saying that I may not use them now or later, though. Xanxia Cultivation is an awesome idea, one I may implement. Thank you!**

 **2) - 4) I don't understand what you're saying.**

 **5) The New World was an interesting read. Also, Markus is starting to learn about Alchemy, so the idea may come to him. Thanks for it, by the awesome idea.**

 **6) I'm not sure about the Nomes going after Markus, seeing as he would just defy them like he did the Fates. Also, the events of Red Pyramid have passed, and I'm also making the Brooklyn House come after him. It'll definitely be fun to write. Your piece about Garuda is true, so it'll make it hard for the two to fight like a Death Battle. But I agree with the notion. The enhancement idea, especially with your bit about the many monsters in the world, would work so well, so I'll use it. Thank you. If the Egyptians band together and actually try, they can pose a threat to Markus. I don't think Markus convincing the Minotaur to his side would be realistic, along with the Cretan Bull bit. Percy'll unlock his superstrength later on in the story. That was a mistake, sorry. They found out about it in this chapter.**

 **7) That does sound like a good idea. Thanks for that.**

 **8) Do not know what you just said.**

 **9) I'm glad you love the story, as well as the points you listed. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **10) Next chapter is here, and I'm glad you like the story.**

 **Done. Again, nothing new to say, only to have a great day. Oh, wait, I forgot: No Nut November. I'm still going strong. It's agony, but I'm going strong. Day 21, and I'm patting those who are also strong on the back. For the rest of you... shame on you. Stay strong, my friends! Do not give in to the temptation! FIGHT!**

 **Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Repetitive, but I wanna show my love to all your support. I'm practically preening with praise, and have developed an ego.**

 **Read and Review!**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51:**

Markus sometimes knew when he was dreaming. Both in the normal sense and the demigod sense. The latter became something of a staple ever since he'd entered the mythological world. Right now, his essence was brought before a golden sarcophagus, which was covered in runes and what looked to be fūinjutsu. Something that shouldn't be possible. Not unless there was outside interference.

Markus sighed, looking at the sarcophagus expectantly. "So? Aren't you going to brag or something? Complain on how you've been thwarted? Give your usual villain spiel."

The sarcophagus was still silent, not doing anything. Markus frowned. "Is Grandpa unhappy at how I killed his general? Or maybe because I killed his bitch? No, no. It must be how I took away your chance to kill your youngest son. Is that it?"

The sarcophagus suddenly glowed, and chuckling was heard from it. "Oh, Markus. Markus, Markus, Markus. Unhappy is something too... minor, for how I'm feeling. I'm just a little bit _absolutely livid._ "

The last two words were spoken with so much hatred and venom that Markus was actually impressed. "Oh, quit your whining, grandpa. You rising is causing all sorts of problems, and you don't see me whining about it."

"Yes, but the difference between us is that I'll definitely live to regret it when all is said and done."

"Ooh, ominous," Markus chuckled. He looked at all the runes and seals decorating the sarcophagus. "So, decided to decorate your bed, huh? A little out of place, but overall, looks decent."

"Oh, yes," Kronos' voice chuckled. "They're little presents from my allies. What they do... well, I'll keep that to myself. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

"Ah, I see. And what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Markus walked around the cave they were standing in. "Because trying to recruit me failed, I've already heard enough death threats. And I can trace your signature to this place and find you. What's stopping me from coming here and destroying you, saving all of us the trouble?"

"That is if you can find me." At that, Markus frowned, trying to sense Kronos' energy, which he found that he couldn't. Oh, he could feel that the Titan king was there, but trying to find out where he was became much harder. "You didn't really think that I wouldn't prepare for such a weakness, did you?"

"Not going to lie, I was kind of hoping that you were going to," Markus admitted, shrugging.

"All you need to know, grandson, is that - very soon - I will destroy you," Kronos said simply, as if he was talking about the weather. "Not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe not even the next day. But I will do destroy you. And when I do, you will regret trying to fight me, and also regret that you were ever born."

Markus smiled cockily, although inwardly he was a little scared. He then pushed his fear away. He was practically one of the strongest beings in the Greek pantheon, and was stronger than any of the Olympians. What exactly could Kronos do to defeat him. "Nice threat. Six out of ten for sounding a little cliché, but overall, pretty decent. So, bye bye."

With that, Markus forcefully woke himself up, feeling no resistance from Kronos. His eyes opened inside the Poseidon cabin, immediately frowning in thought. The runes and seals covering Kronos' sarcophagus were ones that he had never seen before. Which was to be expected, since there was still magic that he had never seen before. And while he was very skilled at runes, he was no master at the art.

However, he did find Kronos' threat worrying. His general was dead, his main commander was dead, and while the Olympians were reduced in numbers, they were fully focused on bringing down the Titans. Even with Kronos' new allies, he shouldn't sound so confident.

But Markus had no idea who these allies were. For all he knew, Kronos had a secret weapon that could potentially kill all of the gods and demigods. The suspense was eating at him, and he realised that this was another ploy of Kronos'. The paranoia that came with trying to figure out what the Titan had planned.

He was annoyed at finding out that it was working.

 **XXX**

Markus walked out of his cabin, stretching his arms as he did. He absently took a note of the slowly fading snow that littered the ground. He yawned, planning to head to the sword arena. It had been a while since he had practised with his weapons, and he didn't want to get rusty.

As he walked, he heard shouting from a distance. Frowning, he turned to look at what the commotion was about. Only to glare at what he found. Near the newly designed Hades cabin, Markus saw Nico and Bianca being harassed by a few campers.

The children of Hades had arrived at camp only yesterday, having been dropped off by Alecto. Chiron was able to properly introduce them to the camp, claiming and everything. Markus was glad to have his cousins at camp, as were they.

As expected, not everybody was happy or excited at having the di Angelo siblings at camp. Many either kept their distance or made an effort to try and be friendly towards them. However, a few of them still believed that children of Hades were bad omens. Like the campers troubling them.

Markus decided on whether he should approach them or not. He could see that both of them could handle themselves, but it was the principle of the matter. They were his friends, his cousins. More importantly, Markus didn't like bullying.

"I think dead boy and girl need the initiation," an Ares camper - because his parentage was obvious, given his scars and cruel demeanour - taunted. His siblings laughed along with him.

"Leave us alone," Bianca said calmly, though her darkening eyes betrayed how she truly felt. She stepped forward, putting her brother behind her.

"Shut it, bitch," another boy growled, trying to be intimidating. "You think that just because you're daddy's Hades, that means your hot shit?"

"No, but it does mean that you'll suffer a cruel afterlife for messing with his children," Markus said from behind. All heads whipped around to look at him. "Of course, right now, that'll be the least of your concerns."

All of the bullies had a fearful look on their faces. However, before they could run away, Markus cast an illusion on them. One that summoned hellhounds, zombies, skeletons and shadowy monsters to form and chase them. Needless to say, all of them screamed loudly and had them running away in a particular direction, screeching like banshees.

While Bianca had a confused look on her face, Nico jumped in excitement. "That was awesome!" he exclaimed brightly. "Did you cast a spell? What was it? How'd ya do it? Wha-"

"Nico," Bianca said sternly, getting the boy to pause and look down sadly. Patting her brother on her shoulder, she looked him in the eye. Done with this, she looked back to Markus, a smile on her face. "Thanks," she said. "But we could've handled that."

"I know you could," Markus responded. "But it was the principle of the thing."

Bianca and Nico smiled at that. "Guess we need to be careful because of Dad," she spoke, frowning.

"Then the campers are stupid," Markus said bluntly, stunning them. "Your parent doesn't define who you are. I can judge the Ares campers because their dad was a dumbass-"

"Language," she hissed, gesturing to Nico. The young boy frowned, glaring at his sister.

Markus chuckled. "But I don't, because my dealings were with Ares, not them. I'd just be wasting my time. So, if anyone gives you trouble, I'll step in."

"Thanks!" Nico chirped, grinning widely. Markus smiled at him, winking. He turned around to leave, missing Bianca's frown as she stared at Markus' back.

As Markus walked towards the arena, he ignored the many looks of fear, hate, disgust and jealousy. The latter two due to the fact that practically everyone knew that Markus, Silena, Thalia and Katie were dating.

Most of the campers were shocked beyond belief and had started barraging them with questions. All of them had answered them all to the best of their abilities. The campers had mixed feelings. Many of the boys felt extremely jealous of Markus for getting more than one girlfriend, and all of them being okay with it. Some of the girls (read: Aphrodite campers) were jealous of the girls and were either badgering the girls to get Markus to add him to his harem, or trying to convince Markus to do the same thing. A few other campers thought that Markus was a disgusting pervert who was using magic to control the girls into becoming his playthings.

That last one nearly had both Markus and Thalia kill the ones who said that to their faces. It took both Silena and Katie to calm them down.

So while Markus got annoyed and even angered at some of the campers, he largely ignored them and went about his business. His reputation among them wasn't the greatest, so this was nothing in comparison.

He arrived at the arena, bringing out Wavebreaker. He sighed in slight nostalgia. It had been a while since he had held his sword in his hands. He started swinging and hacking at the dummies in the field, his mind free. No one had been able to challenge him while at camp. Not even when he held back. As Markus kept hacking and slashing at dummies, a voice called out, "Well, you seem bored!"

"Woah, Jesus!" Markus exclaimed, sword at the ready. Only to pause at who had spoken.

"Nope, just me," Susanoo said calmly, a small smile on his face. The god was speaking through a water mirror.

"Need to get a bell on you," he grumbled, frowning. "Also, really? What if someone saw you?"

"Well, you _do_ have magic," Susanoo said cheekily, shrugging.

"Fucking smartass," Markus muttered, before putting up wards to make any camper not notice them. "Alright, so what do you want?"

"I need you to complete a mission for me," the god said, seriousness settling onto his face.

Markus hummed, contemplating. "Alright. Got nothing better to do. So where is it and what am I doing?"

"I need you to go to Kyoto in Japan. There are some rogue Inu youkai that have been attacking many youkai residents. They've strayed from the Inugami clan, and are wrecking certain shrines through out the city."

Markus frowned. During his training with Susanoo, he had been informed of the dealings within Japan, including the dealings between the youkai in Kyoto. While the whole politic view of the entire city bored him, he paid some attention to the important stuff.

"Isn't Kurama able to manage the situation?" he asked, confused. Kurama was the kyuubi youkai that was the king of the Youkai Empire. He was appointed due to him being wise, as well as his power as a nine-tailed fox. Personally, Markus thought that he was a decent ruler, much better than most rulers Markus had met.

Susanoo grimaced. "Kurama is doing his best, but he can't fully intervene. Most of the rogue Inu are smart, claiming to be still members of the Inugami clan, and thus have invoked one of the old laws that were laid down: the Youkai Leader cannot interfere in clan affairs. Even though they are rogue, their names are still listed in the Inugami clan's memoir."

"Then why don't the Inu youkai clear their name off the memoir?" Markus asked, stumped. Was this really what was stopping Kurama? An old law that didn't have any place in this certain affair?

"Yes. The clan elders are agreeing with it, and are causing a fuss. Even with all of the evidence that the rogue youkai are clearly causing havoc and destroying sacred ground, they are still persisting that Kurama do nothing, as they want to save face in front of other clans."

"I-I don't..." Markus groaned, facepalming. "Politics are stupid."

"Indeed," Susanoo agreed instantly. "But while the youkai can't do anything, they can't oppose intervention from the gods. That's where you come in."

Markus sighed. "Got it. And I expect not to face any politic bullshit or divine intervention from anyone, right?" He looked towards the god pointedly.

"The former? No. The latter... as I said before, I can't predict what Fūjin and Raijin will do, but they won't do anything drastic while you're in Kyoto. Any divine interference could have dire consequences, and none of the other gods would like that."

"But at the same time, since I'm on their home turf, it'll be easier for them to attack me?" he countered.

Susanoo didn't say anything, only further cementing Markus' thoughts. He sighed. "Great. Well, I'll get to it."

"Thank you," Susanoo nodded, a thankful look on his face. The water mirror faded away, splashing a little on the ground.

Markus cracked his neck, hearing it pop. "I hate politics." He summoned his speed clones to inform his girlfriends, friends and brother as to where he was going. With that, he ran out of Camp Half-Blood.

Colour blurred past his vision as Markus kept on running, donning his Godspeed suit. His speed increased, the ground he was running on quickly fading away to let water carry him forward. A fine spray of mist was formed as he ran, his muscles pumping.

In five minutes, he had entered the borders of Japan, quickly stopping by a food stand to order some food. He devoured the whole stand, leaving a huge stack of yen on the table. With that, he ran out, soon meeting his destination.

Markus stopped as he saw that he was in some dense forests. He was a little bit awed, feeling the amount of nature energy. It managed to overwhelm him for a moment, not being used to a place with this much energy. He knelt down, peering at some exotic flowers and plants. Maybe he should get Katie some of these. They were very beautiful, plus could help develop her powers in plants.

"Halt! Who goes there?!" a stern voice called out, making Markus alert as he expanded his hydro-sensing, feeling the water signatures of several presences. The presences quickly passed through the dense foliage, revealing themselves to be men wearing traditional miko outfits, including tall geta with white tabi as footwear and blue hakama. Markus noted that they had fox ears and multiple tails.

 _Been a while since I've seen fox youkai_ , Markus thought to himself, before listening to the youkai speak.

"State your business! Or you will not be allowed in!" one youkai barked, standing at the ready.

Markus held up his hands. "I am on business from Susanoo-sama. I am his champion, and was tasked with the mission of exterminating the rogue Inu youkai."

The youkai frowned for a moment, before one spoke up. "You say you were sent by Susanoo-sama? You do have a divine signature attributed to storms, but that alone will not convince us. If what you say is true, come with us. Kurama-sama would most likely have words with you."

Nodding, Markus followed the youkai, feeling the others surround him and walk in a circle. Despite knowing that this was standard protocol, his instincts weren't settling down as he did his best to calm them.

The group continued walking, past the forest area and walking into a large, magnificent city. Tall buildings were everywhere, and roaming the streets were youkai of different kinds. Markus almost gasped at the humongous amount of nature energy that was circling through the atmosphere **(A.N. - Identical to the Youkai Faction Palace and city in Highschool DxD)**.

As they walked into the city and through the streets, a number of youkai were glancing at Markus and whispering.

"Is that a human?" a tengu asked, curious.

"No, I can sense his divine energy!" another tengu called out.

"Is he a god? His power is immense," an Inu youkai commented, shivering in fear.

Markus frowned a little, leaning towards some of the fox youkai as they walked. "I take it that it's rare for non-youkai to walk through the city?"

"You could say that," one spoke. "We have never really encountered any other being in our city. In fact, it's rare for even the Shinto gods to visit us." Markus went quiet after listening to that bit of information.

It wasn't long until the demigod found himself standing in front of a massive red torii gate, which was connected to a huge mansion. As they walked through it, Markus took in each of the decorations hung up. He saw a painting of Kurama hung up on the wall, his red fox ears and nine tails displayed majestically. While he could see that the painting was used to promote Kurama's figure, he could see that it was an excellent painting. Numerous other decorations were hung around, like urns, more paintings and other different trinkets.

Eventually, the youkai and Markus had reached the throne that held the Youkai King, Kurama. The kyuubi had crimson spiky red hair, red slitted eyes and wore a dark black haori with magatama attached to the fabric. On top of his head was a golden crown, signifying his status. Surprisingly, he wore no footwear, allowing his rusty-coloured skin to be bare.

Markus could tell that Kurama had the air of a ruler. Despite his unruly attitude (his outfit not counting) he had an aura that demanded respect and power.

"I take it you are Kurama?" Markus asked, ignoring the already bowing kitsune and the glares he received for not doing the same thing.

The youkai looked at Markus, before smiling. "Yes, I am. You say you are the champion of Susanoo-sama?"

"Yes," Markus answered, a serious look in his eyes. "I am here to exterminate the rogue Inu youkai."

"I see. Very well. I have the location of their camp, so you can be off on your mission."

"You don't question my statement on my patron god, nor my mission?" Markus asked, ignoring the burning glares the kitsune were giving him at questioning their leader.

Kurama chuckled. "No. I can see in your eyes that you are genuine, not to mention that your divine energy is a giveaway. The Inu youkai are located at the south-west of the city. You should be able to find them easily."

"Understood," Markus nodded. With a nod, he exited the mansion of the Youkai King, using his super speed to dash towards the location of the Inu. Expanding his senses, he located them to be residing in a abandoned and damaged shrine. He went over his battle plan. He didn't know the full capability of youkai, so rushing in blindly wouldn't work.

"Maybe I should've at least asked of their capabilities..." Markus muttered to himself, before shaking his head. "Fuck it." He had to stop overthinking this. He'd dealt with situations like this many times. He should be fine.

As Markus walked towards the entrance of the shrine, he immediately brought out Wavebreaker, blocking the claws of what appeared to be a rabid monster. The one who attacked him was male, with thick black hair that reached his lower back, golden eyes with slits and wore a simple grey robe. His extended claws glowed with energy as he growled like a beast.

"So, that pathetic fox had the balls to actually send someone to attack us!" he barked, growling as he tried to push Markus backwards. "Maybe not enough balls, because he ain't here himself!"

Just as Markus was about to respond, he quickly moved to the side, avoiding the surprise attack from behind. This attack came from another Inu youkai with similar features as the other one, only with silver hair and brown eyes, along with a red cloak. "Don't worry, brother! At least we get a free meal this time!" His tongue appeared out of his mouth, dripping with saliva.

Markus saw that more youkai were appearing behind the duo, making them over a dozen in number. He spun his sword around, a smirk appearing on his face. Good way to make sure that his skills hadn't rusted.

"You know, I've never actually encountered talking mutts before," he taunted, smirking. "I wonder how you'd do in dog shows. I bet most of you would take first place."

"Fucking prick!" the one with the golden eyes snarled, claws extending. He leapt forward, ignoring the warnings that came from his brethren.

Still smirking, Markus quickly sidestepped the advance, and sliced his sword across the Inu's neck, beheading him easily. He looked back towards the stunned and furious youkai, ignoring the fallen body. "Looks like you're nothing more than simple bitches!"

"Kill him!" one Inu yelled from the crowd, getting identical roars and cheers from the others. Markus grinned, deciding not to use magic this time. Sword at the ready, Markus charged towards them.

One youkai charged at him, a zanbatō in his hands. Markus clashed with him, right foot raised to kick and push any oncoming foes. Easily pushing back with his superior strength, Markus quickly disarmed the Inu and stabbed him in the gut, killing him. A roar from the side alerted the demigod to his advancement. Taking the free sword, Markus started slashing and hacking any oncoming youkai, taking them down quite quickly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some Inu cut themselves and chant some incantations. Finished, they threw their blood at him, the liquid hardening and forming blades in mid-air. Markus didn't stop to be impressed, as he casually dodged the attack and hurled the zanbatō in his hand towards one Inu, who was so surprised that he got impaled by the sword.

Backflipping, Markus' foot caught one Inu in the chin, sending him flying backwards. Multiple Inu fired off their blades of blood at him, along with claw strikes, but the son of Poseidon parried them away. He landed on one Inu, who collapsed in a heap, dead due to the sword plunged into his head. A spinkick knocked one approaching from behind, snapping his neck easily.

"This is actually getting boring," Markus noted with a frown, continuing his decimation of the Inu. While he expected to be able to take care of the youkai easily, these guys were laughable. They were essentially thugs, using their feral nature and appendages to attack him. They were literally no better than random dogs.

"Die!" one yelled, sword raised. Markus got so annoyed at his weak display that he knocked his sword away and beheaded him on the spot. His sword became multiple flashes of bronze as he decapitated, dismembered and dispatched the youkai easily. Only a few were able to weakly block his sword with their claws, but the effort was futile.

After a few minutes, the fight was finished. Blood sprayed the entire shrine floor and walls as bodies, limbs and other body parts were strung all over the place. Markus sighed, removing the blood on Wavebreaker. "Dear God, that was boring," he noted, dismissing his sword. Sighing, he walked out of the shrine, bringing out his Devil Bringer to set the place alight with hellfire, burning the evidence of there being a fight in the first place.

 **XXX**

"What is the meaning of this, Kurama-sama?!" an elderly man with dog ears and canines jutting from his teeth yelled, enraged.

Kurama sat in the centre of a U-shaped table, where multiple youkai elders sat. Markus stood beside him, a frown on his face. He could see all kinds of different youkai. He saw a young looking woman with brown hair and a pair of cat ears sticking out from her hair, a single tail lazily swishing behind her as her eyes inspected the demigod next to their king. He looked around and his attention landed on a short male covered in brown fur. Wrinkles covered his face making it hard to see if the man was paying attention or not. The last one that got his attention was an elderly kitsune youkai. He was old and from how he presented himself, Markus could tell that the man was more than likely the oldest in the room. He had a goatee and wrinkles covering his forehead. Three brown tipped tails could be seen behind the man in combination with the brown fox ears protruding from his head.

"Is there a problem, Ōkami-san?" Kurama asked, a raised eyebrow indicating that he knew what Ōkami was talking about.

"Yes! You have interfered in my clan matters, and killed the rogue Inu clan members!" Ōkami bellowed, slamming his fist on the table. "This is a clear violation of the old laws!"

"But I was not the one to take action," Kurama pointed out, gesturing towards the demigod standing beside him. "It was Markus Henderson, the Leviathan and champion of Susanoo."

"Yes," the cat woman said, frowning. "You expect us to believe that the gods would send a mortal to interfere in our affairs? Preposterous!"

"And yet," Markus commented, looking at the youkai, "I killed the rogue Inugami. As per the orders of Susanoo himself."

Ōkami scoffed, glaring at Markus. "Silence, boy! Your blasphemy has been tolerated long enough! You should be executed for your interference!"

Markus gave Ōkami a look, just a single look. Yet the whole room went cold. Markus had tapped into his godly power and used more than enough to unnerve each and every youkai in the room. Even Kurama was unsettled slightly.

"Blasphemy?" he whispered, glaring heavily at the Inu youkai. He took out the Kusanagi from his pocket dimension, each youkai shuddering from the power of the blade. "This is the Kusanagi, the sword gifted to me by the god of storms. The weapon he received from slaying Yamata-no-Orochi, the weapon I received as a gift for slaying his reincarnation. This is proof that I am Susanoo's champion."

With nought but a flinch, the divine blade pierced the space next to Ōkami's head, making the dog youkai sweat bullets and pale rapidly. "Is that real enough for you?" Markus whispered, appearing before him and staring into his eyes. "So do. Not. Test me. When I say I'm Susanoo's champion, then you take my word as truth."

Yanking his sword from the wall, he returned it to its pocket dimension as he returned to the position beside Kurama, the earlier atmosphere fading slightly. Though that didn't mean that the youkai weren't shaken by Markus' display.

Kurama coughed slightly, clearing his throat. "Yes, well, as I was saying. Markus killed the rogue Inugami, preventing our people and shrines from being further bothered and desecrated. As the champion of one of our Trinity, I think we should give Markus our thanks."

Many of the youkai didn't want to, but after Markus stared at them for a moment, they reluctantly muttered out their thanks.

Kurama was grinning widely at this point. "Now, let us move onto other discussions..."

 **XXX**

Markus had managed to arrive at camp, blood pumping from his run. It was now midday, and he quite enjoyed his journey to the Youkai Palace. Apart from dealing with some cowardly and stupid clan elders, he had quite enjoyed the visit. Kurama was also a delight, since the demigod had figured out that - despite his title - he was actually a chill guy. A prankster at heart, he reminded Markus strongly of the Stoll brothers. When he invited him over for tea, Markus almost spat his own drink out, finding that it was bitter. The Youkai King later admitted that he intentionally made his guest's tea bitter, because he enjoyed the disgusted expression on their faces. Not to mention that it helped unnerve them immensely.

His sick humour aside, he was quite cool. He was a little easy-going, but was kind of brash and hot-headed at times. Good thing that he had his advisers close by.

Markus sighed. While the mission was quite easy and quick, he was eager to get inside camp. Just lie down on his bed, cuddle with either one of his girlfriends. Maybe eat a couple of piz-

The clear sound of numerous gun shots made Markus' eyes go wide for a moment. The only ones with guns were the Hephaestus cabin, but they wouldn't test weapons right out in the open. What the hell was going on?!

Quickly using his superspeed, he dashed towards camp, taking a brief glance to look at Peleus. Using his War God Speed Impulse, his eyes widened upon seeing the dragon dead, multiple bullet holes riddling his body, and slash marks across his neck and torso. Ichor bled from his wounds as he laid there. As he crossed Half-Blood Hill, Markus saw that Camp Half-Blood was a complete war zone. Campers ran, screaming and shouting and shooting arrows and trying to run away. Bullets sprang from a group of men and women standing at one side of camp, mowing down some campers.

They were then spreading out, moving in to take down the demigods, satyrs and nymphs. One particular man stepped forward, raising a machine gun of all things to shoot Malcolm down, who was trying to steer some campers to shelter. The man fired, bullets spraying instantly. Just as Malcolm could even register the attack, Markus swooped in, instantly taking out Wavebreaker to decapitate the man, only to be stunned as the blade passed through him.

 _He's mortal?_ Markus thought, shocked. _Then how'd he get inside camp?!_

Though surprised, Markus continued his movement, stepping in front of Malcolm and catching each one of the bullets, stealing away their kinetic energy. Redirecting it back, Markus launched the bullets at the man, glad that they pierced him and killed him.

"Markus?!" Malcolm said, stunned.

Markus turned towards the son of Athena. "What the hell is going on?!"

"I-I don't know! These guys appeared and managed to kill Peleus! W-We tried attacking them, but our weapons didn't have any effect. L-Like they were-"

"Mortal?" Markus finished, surveying the situation. "Only explanation. Take any and all campers to the Big House!" With that, he disappeared.

Markus' perception of time slowed, trying to discern each situation at once. He saw Chiron knocked unconscious near the Zeus cabin. Many campers were running away, seeing that their weapons had no effect. Two mortals - male and female - were walking towards them, shooting any stray camper. He growled, causing their blood to burst from the inside out. Their bodies popped like balloons in a gory and bloody display.

"It's the Leviathan!" one man noted, getting his group that stood beside him to aim their guns at the son of Poseidon. "Kill him!"

Snarling, Markus ripped the water out of their heads, busting their heads open like watermelons. He then dashed towards the cabins, avoiding every stray bullet and directing them away from any camper. He appeared beside the Poseidon cabin, seeing Percy use the water from the spring to defend himself from the attacking mortals. Roaring, he turned the water to ice and hurled the newly formed ice particles to connect with the mortals. Each particle embedded itself into their bodies, injuring them.

Rolling his eyes at his brother's squeamish manner, Markus popped their heads by ripping the water. Percy looked stunned at the bloody display.

"Percy, when someone shoots at you, you take them out, not down," Markus told him, making Percy face him.

"M-Markus?! Wha-" "Later. Right now, we're being attacked. Kill them or get killed." Markus moved towards the rest of the cabins. As he was taking care of the mortals, he saw bolts of lightning raining down at a particular place beside the climbing wall. Following that, vines that were covered with thorns grew together to form one giant plant construct.

Markus nodded. "Definitely Thalia and Katie." Moving quickly, he arrived to see Thalia and Katie standing back-to-back. The daughter of Zeus had lightning surround her form, like armour. Any bullet was either fried or blown away, while any mortal that got close became charred. The daughter of Demeter had several vines surround her body, which constantly blocked and bit at any bullets or attackers.

Roaring, Thalia spread her hands, allowing her lightning to arc and burst across the group of mortals, electrocuting them severely, leaving them twitching and paralysed. Katie managed to both defend and attack, letting her plants ensnare many of her attackers. Seeing a stray woman aim their gun at Thalia from behind, Markus immediately moved and grabbed the woman's neck, snapping it.

He grabbed the gun from her dead hands, aiming the nozzle at several mortals. He pulled the trigger, shooting each mortal with powerful rounds.

"Took you long enough, Barnacle Brain!" Thalia exclaimed, panting as lightning surrounded her. "Where the hell were you?!"

"On a quest," Markus responded, spinning around and creating a whirlwind of bullets. The air shattered at the powerful sounds, Markus throwing the gun at one approaching man, who fell down unconscious. He ended his life with another round of blood manipulation. "Where's Silena?"

Before anyone could say anything, an electric whip wrapped itself around one woman that Katie was fighting, electrocuting her. The woman's eyes rolled into the back of her hand, her body collapsing. An angry Silena stomped forward, bow in her arms and shooting down any approaching mortals. A large cut appeared on her cheek, making the others realise why she was mad.

"Take that!" she yelled, shooting an arrow in the groin of a man, which exploded. "And that!" She followed this up with an arrow to the chest of another mortal, freezing him in a large block of ice. Ducking, she rolled, kicking another man in the groin.

"... Note to self: don't ever scar Silena's face," Katie commented, stopping to look at the scene before him.

"I was not ready for today," Thalia said, wincing a little as Silena promptly bitch-slapped a woman, knocking her unconscious.

"I don't think any of us were," Markus added. Seeing that she was slowly being surrounded, Markus retrieved a shotgun from a dead mortal and aimed it at some of them. He pulled the trigger, his body shaking a little from the recoil. He continued firing, most of them flying backwards from the bullets. Silena turned around, eyes narrowed, only for them to soften as Markus nodded at her. Once the gun was empty, Markus used the shotgun as a baseball bat, smacking it into the face of a few mortals.

He dropped it, speeding around and helping any available campers. Pretty soon, many of them had gathered at the Big House, taking cover. The son of Poseidon took note of who was with them; Percy, Thalia, Silena, Katie, Annabeth, Bianca, Nico, Will, Beckendorf and many of their respective siblings. Other familiar faces, like Alabaster amd Lou were there as well. All of them could clearly see that some of their siblings and friends were missing, likely dead. Some of them cried, a few had stony faces, and the rest steeled themselves.

Markus stepped forward, getting everyone's attention. "Alright, here's the plan: Aphrodite kids, stay here and tend to the wounded. As well as children of Apollo good with healing. They'll be able to defend any injured."

"But how are we going to attack any of them if our weapons don't harm them? And who are these people?" Annabeth asked, frowning.

"Leave that to me," Markus assured. "And we'll take care of that later. Demeter cabin, use plants to defend the Big House and the campers. Make sure that you follow their movements and their backs. The rest of you..." Markus looked at them intensely. "... don't die."

With that reassuring message, Markus zipped out of the Big House, pissed off. He appeared before a large gathering of the mortals, magic at the ready. " _Ionioi Hetairoi:_ _Dākukingu-ban!_ (Army of the King: Dark King Edition!)"

Mistform weapons coated in darkness were hurled towards the mortals, skewering them instantly. A wordless _Sagitta Spiram Verberare_ added to the chaos, reducing their numbers rapidly.

Seeing that more mortals were appearing in the centre of the camp by some odd teleportation, Markus' rage grew. So he decided to go for broke. Holding up his hand in the air, a familiar black sphere formed, creating several pieces of earth. "Lunar Devastation," he whispered, the false moon much smaller than the one he had used against the Olympians. Meaning that it moved much faster.

Bringing his hand down, the false moon quickly impacted with the stunned and terrified form of the mortals. They tried running, but it was ultimately futile. The moon collided with the ground, shattering it and creating a giant shockwave that shook the cabins and Big House, along with making the demigods get knocked off their feet from the energy and force produced.

In a powerful light, the ground shook as the mortals were either crushed or disintegrated, the effects being visible after a couple of minutes. Using his hydro-sensing, he discovered that there were no more mortals. Sighing, he walked towards the Big House, taking in the destruction that both the mortals and himself. He pushed away his sadness at seeing one of the few places that he could call a home destroyed. All the dead bodies, the ruined hearth, the destroyed cabins... Markus kept on moving, lest his grief keeps eating at him.

He arrived at the Big House, seeing that Chiron was now awake. While normally he wouldn't be happy seeing the centaur, Markus was just glad that he was awake. "Chiron," Markus nodded in greeting.

"Markus." Chiron's face was stern, though he could tell that trying to keep a straight face. Both for himself and the campers. The overwhelming sadness in his eyes made Markus pity him. "It is good to see you. Thank you for managing to take care of the rest of those mortals."

"Chiron, do you know what they are?" Percy asked, coming up to the two. The campers looked at him with hope, wishing that they had answers.

The centaur frowned. "Not exactly, though I have an idea of who they work for."

"Who?" Thalia asked, confused.

Chiron's face was grim as he spoke. "Before I was knocked unconscious, I saw one of them showcase a tattoo. It was on a man, by his neck. It was a tattoo of a scythe."

Everyone's blood turned cold at the mention of the scythe. Despite most of them not being that knowledgeable, they knew who that symbol belonged to. "Kronos," Markus growled. His eyes widened, remembering the Titan king taunting him with his smug tone. He didn't think too much about it, but now, he realised that this was part of his plan. Since when the hell did he start using mortals for his plans? Was he using the Mist? How was he even controlling and recruiting them? Why-

"What's that sound?" Percy asked. Everyone now paid attention, hearing a beeping sound.

"Y-Yeah," Beckendorf answered, frowning. "And it's close. Very close."

"And sounds like an awful lot like-" Wide-eyed, Markus moved at superspeeds, having an idea of what it was. It was crazy, but he was willing to believe anything at this point.

Markus went up to the attic of the Big House, where the old trophies and the Oracle laid. Sitting in the centre was what looked to be a bomb. Multiple wires were attached to it, like the ones found in the movies. Only this one was very real. A timer on the front showed that there was seven seconds left till detonation.

"Fuck!" he roared, moving at superspeeds and slamming his War God Speed Impulse on, kneeling down at the bomb. There was no way that he could disarm it. Five seconds. He cursed again, reaching out to pick it up and throw it outside. His eyes could've popped out of their sockets at how wide they were. The timer sped up. One second.

Markus had only one thing to do. Wrapping the bomb in a powerful magic barrier, Markus moved out of the way, dodging just in time to avoid getting fully caught in the explosion that rocked the attack, making his world go bright as everything exploded.

 **And done. Been a good while.**

 **I'm going to be honest, I felt like this chapter was rushed. Felt lazy, so decided to shorten most of what happened. Hope y'all liked it.**

 **The Youkai Palace bit was introduced as Markus getting more involved in Shinto affairs. Cameo was definitely short, but in later chapters, it'll be expanded on. Also, the politic side of things will be a bit... lacking. Since I suck at it. Not a politics guy.**

 **So, the invasion of camp rose the stakes a bit. I've wanted to use the idea of Kronos using mortals as pawns. And while that did happen in Titan's Curse, I wanted to expand on it a bit, making them act as a hit squad. Definitely makes things harder for Camp, as they use celestial bronze for practically all their weapons. Not to mention that it'll allow them to experience death up close.**

 **Guest review time!**

 **1) True.**

 **2) All points have been answered. And you should wait until the story progresses with more darker themes.**

 **3) Dunno. Honestly didn't think of adding them in the fold. Give me a few ideas on how those interactions could go.**

 **4) Thank you very much.**

 **Now, just wanna say: first chapter in 2019. Expect to see more. So... Happy New Year! (As well as thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story.)**


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52:**

Each of the cabin councillor was in the Rec Room, going over the damage done to camp. Each one was attended for, solemn expressions on many of their faces. While a good chunk of them had survived the assault, many of their siblings couldn't say the same.

Fifty-three demigods had died, out of the three-hundred and forty that were originally at Camp Half-Blood. Twenty satyrs and fifteen dryads followed in the casualties. Despite having relatively low numbers, no one was happy at the outcome. Many couldn't believe the reason.

"Mortals," Annabeth muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Her eyes were slightly red, the death of her siblings causing numerous tears to fall from her eyes. "H-How? How did they get in?" Everyone looked to Chiron for help, all wondering the same thing.

The elderly centaur had a grimace on his face, struggling to reveal the truth. "It seems that there was a spell that was disrupting the barrier set in place, near Thalia's tree. It even seemed to overpower the power of the Golden Fleece."

"But how?" Alabaster questioned, confused. "My siblings or Markus could've detected the spell placed easily. Why didn't we?"

Chiron hesitated, seemingly knowing the answer, yet reluctant to say. "I-I can't say."

Now _everyone_ confused. Why would Chiron willingly refuse to tell them the cause of the mortals entering the camp. "Chiron," Markus said, stepping up. He had relatively healed from the magical bomb's explosion, a dip in the lake healing him up. "What aren't you telling us? If we don't know how they entered the camp, then how can we stop them from coming in?"

Everyone nodded, all sharing similar thoughts. Chiron had a reluctant look on his face. All could see that he _wanted_ to tell them, but couldn't.

Markus scowled. "Is this one of those secrets that you _spectacularly_ try to keep from us, for our own 'safety'?"

Many of the campers looked at both Markus and Chiron in confusion, wondering what they were talking about. Annabeth flinched, looking down. Percy and Thalia glared at him, as if to say that now wasn't the time.

Chiron winced. "Markus, I-"

"So it is," Markus confirmed, nodding. "Great. Makes sense why you're not telling us."

"Markus, enough," Percy said, frowning at him. "Is now really a good time to be placing the blame on others?"

"If we don't know how they got in, how are we supposed to stop them from doing so again?" Markus fired back, looking at his brother. "I'm not in the wrong to condemn him for something that almost screwed us over if we didn't figure it out."

"Uh, any of you want to tell us what this big secret is about?" Travis asked, almost everyone confused as to what was being talked about.

Markus turned to Chiron, a sarcastic smile on his face. "Well, Chiron? Would you like to tell them? I'm sure they're all _eager_ to know."

Chiron clenched his jaw, seeing that he was being put on the spot. "Now, isn't the _time,_ Markus."

"Of course, because it never is with you," Markus scoffed. "Just like it isn't the time to have take care of the one thing that'll stop Kronos' forces from getting inside."

"Markus, that's enough," Silena spoke, glaring at him. "If Chiron won't tell us, there has to be a good reason."

"Oh, trust me, Silena. There's _never_ a good reason when Chiron has a secret," Markus retorted, glaring at the centaur.

It was silent throughout the room, no one knowing what to say as tension filled the room.

"Hey, I don't want to make things worse," Will spoke, rubbing his neck, "but, does anyone want to point out the giant elephant in the room? The attic is mostly destroyed."

Markus frowned at that, remembering what had happened when he had wrapped the bomb in his barrier. It seemed that only made things worse, as the explosion had occurred anyway. And while the barrier had somewhat contained it, not all of the force and heat was held. Many of the junk in the attic was vaporized, nothing of value to many of them. However, there was one object that was very important that was destroyed; the Oracle.

The bomb was placed close to the old mummy, destroying it as it went off. Markus only saw the remains of a corpse the last time he had checked, the green spirit of the Oracle of Delphi flying away through the attic. When the news was relayed to everyone, it brought the already sombre mood down even further.

The Oracle was the one who gave demigods prophecies to go on quests. It was essentially their guide for survival. As confusing and as annoying as it was considered, it was still a vital part of camp. And now... _it was destroyed._

The war with Kronos would be fought blindly. No prophecies means no quests. No quests would mean that they wouldn't be able to do anything. They were essentially stuck.

"What are we going to do about the Oracle?" Percy asked, the question on everybody's mind. No one was able to offer any advice. No one gave inspiring words to them. None of them knew what to do.

Except one. "The spirit inside is mostly alive," Chiron informed, making everybody look at him. "The body may have been destroyed, but the actual Oracle itself is still active. It's likely that we can locate the spirit, which is likely searching for a new host."

"But where would we find the spirit?" Clarisse asked. "We don't even know if it's gone and wandered off somewhere else, instead of finding a host."

"A good question," a voice suddenly answered, making many in the room jump in surprise. Suddenly, light seemed to peel over a space beside Chiron, revealing who was hidden in said space.

"Luckily, I think I might be able to find it," Apollo continued, his usual smile replaced with an angry frown. Immediately, a majority of the campers went on their knees to bow to the god, Markus being the exception to this.

The god of the sun waved his hands. "Rise, demigods."

"Lord Apollo," Chiron addressed, smiling. "It is good to hear from you. May I ask the reason for this personal visit?"

"You don't need to be so formal, Chiron," Apollo chuckled, though it sounded hollow. "I'm not dad." At that, he seemed to dim a bit, but then brightened slightly. "I came to offer help."

"B-But the Ancient Laws-" "Forbid me from interfering, yes," Apollo finished for the centaur. "However, when my name is called - especially by one of my children - I suppose that I can... bend them a little." He glanced at Will, indicating who had called to him. "Sorry, I couldn't come sooner. Can't interfere in mortal affairs. But this time, I'll do my best."

"T-Thanks, dad," Will nodded, struggling not to break down and cry.

With a nod, Apollo looked at the remaining campers. "Now, I did plan on healing the injured. And, to go around the rules _again..._ " A blur of speed appeared beside him in the form of Hermes, who held a large package, with what looked like medical supplies.

"Someone call the doctor?" he quipped, making Apollo sigh.

"Herm, dude. You're deliver was way off. Can't you read a mood?"

"Ah, shut it," he waved away, the humour taking away some of the the tension in the air. With that, Hermes started handing out several supplies to everyone that needed it, Will moving around to help.

 **XXX**

Markus and the children of Hecate were recording and documenting several of the runes that were carved on Thalia's tree. Each of them had a notebook that Alabaster and Lou Ellen had written up, detailing everything there was on different types of runes. Unfortunately, they couldn't recognise the runes placed on the tree immediately, something that had stumped them. They had a literal library on runes, and yet couldn't identify them.

"Any luck?" Timmy asked, squinting his eyes as he documented the runes on the tree.

"None," Bobby commented, sighing.

Lou Ellen was chanting through different identification spells, doing her best to see if she could narrow down the search of the runes. She had been at this for a good twenty minutes, and had had no such luck. She sighed, dismissing them. "I give up. Anyone else want to take a stab at this?"

Markus used his newly dubbed Mage Sight, scanning the magic surrounding the Fleece and tree. He squinted his eyes a little while staring at the Fleece, since it was like a mini lighthouse. Inspecting the magic seeping from the runes, he frowned. The magic didn't 'look' Greek. Greek magic usually had a more bronze-looking colour in general, with different exceptions. It was rigid, complicated at its best, but seemed to follow a straightforward pattern. The runes on the tree looked different.

They were much more fluid, more powerful. They seemed to have a flexibility to them that Markus had only ever seen in rarely. Like it was...

Markus' eyes widened as he dismissed his Mage Sight. "Son of a bitch..." he muttered, drawing attention to him. He quickly opened a pocket dimension of his, taking out what looked to be a heavy notebook.

"Markus?" Lou said, confused as the son of Poseidon was skimming through each page, muttering to himself as he did so. He stopped at a particular page, eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, looking at both the tree and book before muttering, "Arhain, Aul'El..." Markus activated his Mage Sight, eyes widening as he studied the tree again. "Hah-ri..." he muttered, frowning.

"Markus," Lou said again, putting her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"It looks like Kronos has been busy," he answered. "He somehow got the mortals to use ancient magic to allow themselves entry inside camp. Magic that _isn't_ Greek."

The others made sounds of surprise at that, shocked. "Magic that isn't Greek?" Bobby asked, shocked. "T-That's not possible."

"Proof's right here in front of us," Markus responded. He knew of the existence of the Norse and Egyptians, and could recognise some of the Divine Words placed on the tree, along with some of the Norse runes used. He didn't tell them, however, now knowing why Chiron was hesitant in telling the other demigods. "It looks to be Old Magic from different folklore, several Scandinavian and Egyptian hieroglyphs."

"Egyptian? Scandinavian?" Lou questioned, frowning. "Does that mean that there are Egyptian and Norse gods around? And how do you know that?"

"I wouldn't know," Markus diverted, not fully answering the question. "And I did some extra reading while I was outside camp."

"So, you could dispel this stuff, right?" Timmy asked hopefully. Markus hummed.

"I can try," he admitted. "While I'm knowledgeable in this kind of magic, I'm kind of a novice in all of this." He frowned, not used to admitting that. "Let me try something." Dashing towards the Poseidon cabin, he was glad to see it empty. He commanded the nearby water to hiss, forming a small rainbow.

"O Iris, goddess of rainbows, accept my offering." Fishing a drachma out of his pocket, he tossed it into the rainbow. "Hecate."

The mist started to clear, showing the goddess chanting some words while a tome was open, glowing slightly. Thankfully, he didn't see Gale anywhere, so that was good.

He waited for the goddess to finish. After five minutes, Hecate opened her eyes. "Markus, a pleasure to see you. What is that you require?"

"Is there anyway you can send over spells and runes on Norse and Egyptian magic?" Markus asked, straight to the point. Hecate raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to need you to be a bit more specific." So, Markus told her the situation of the camp, making Hecate frown.

"It seems that Kronos is becoming more desperate in trying to attack you," she uttered, making Markus look on in confusion. "You are the most powerful person in his path," she explained, making an understanding look on his face. "And while most of the Olympians are still active, Kronos would do anything to take you down specifically."

"I'd feel honoured, if he wasn't so annoying," Markus commented, making Hecate smile.

"Oh, the woes of attaining power. But, as you were saying, I can't offer you that. Not only do I not know any Norse or Egyptian magic, but I doubt that either Isis or any of the other gods of magic in Norse mythology would offer me aid if I ask them."

Markus scowled, but then had an idea. "What if I do it? Obviously with you, there are no doubt rules about that sort of thing. But I'm a demi- uh, well, whatever the hell I am."

"Just stick with 'demigod'," Hecate offered helpfully. "And I don't think that that's a good idea. You're reputation as the Leviathan would make things problematic for you. While you and I know that you wouldn't attack other gods without a reason, many of them won't see it as that. They'll think that you're trying to either kill or steal from them."

Sighing, Markus said, "Fan-fucking-tastic. So, you're saying that it's impossible for me to do such a thing?"

"Not if your overly discreet," she advised. "You'd need to hide your presence from many of the gods, demigods and/or magicians. Not to mention the einherjar. Fortunately, I have a spell for that." Holding out her hand, a scroll appeared in her hand. She then muttered a few words, magic seeping from her mouth and inscribing itself on the paper.

Clicking her fingers, the scroll disappeared and reappeared in Markus' hands. "There. It's not perfect, but it should do the job as long as you're not too suspicious."

"Ah, magic," Markus commented, smiling as he opened the scroll. "You wonderful thing, you. Is there anything you can't do?"

"You'd be surprised," Hecate commented, smiling. "Now, take care." The Iris message disappeared, leaving Markus alone in his cabin.

 **XXX**

Markus sucked on Katie's neck as she moaned a little, the two lying on her bed in the Demeter cabin. The son of Poseidon decided that with all of the trouble that they had been facing, they all needed some serious downtime. So, he had left several speed clones in his place to do their best in deciphering more of the runes and help the Hecate children to plan out more spells to protect the camp.

With that, Markus decided to visit Katie, as he wanted to spend more time with her. Like right now, as he bit slightly on her neck, leaving several hickeys. She mewled a little as Markus' hands crept towards her breasts, squeezing them slightly.

"N-Not f-fair..." she moaned, voice rising in pitch as Markus continued toying with her.

"What is?" Markus asked, a growing grin on his face as sucked on her collarbone.

"That y-you get to enjoy y-yourself, and I don't!" Eyes narrowed, she summoned several vines to wrap themselves around Markus' limbs, pulling them back. A little surprised, but not showing it, Markus inspected the vines, an eyebrow raised as a particular one slithered towards him.

"Now..." Katie stood up, confidence gained. "I'm in the mood to enjoy myself. So, just sit back, relax and let Mama Katie take care of the rest."

"You know, this says a lot about your personality in bed," Markus commented, making Katie grin a little. "And, for the record, I'm not interested in repeating what happened last time."

"Oh, I tried playing with your ass _one_ time!" she complained.

Markus glared at her, vibrating his body and phasing out of the vines around his body. "I don't care! I couldn't even sit straight for days without shivering at the thought of that plant thing near my ass!"

Katie huffed, crossing her arms. "Oh, sure. When you fondle an ass, it's okay. When I do it, then you have a problem." She yelped as Markus pinned her down, groping the ass in question. He grinned, enjoying her flushed face.

"That's because when _my_ hard, phallic object is near a female ass, it arouses me. When your hard phallic object nears an ass in general, there's problems. Speaking of which..." Moaning as Markus squeezed her ass again, Katie felt nervous as Markus neared her. Just as they were about to continue, there was a knock at the door. Pointedly ignoring that, Markus was about to continue again, when there was a louder knock.

"What?!" both Markus and Katie roared, annoyed at being cockblocked. Markus especially, as this had happened again. _I swear to every single god, if the camp isn't being attacked, I will freeze that person solid and shatter them!_ Markus growled. Furious, Markus got up and stomped towards the door, ice coating his footsteps. He swung the door open, about to make good on his word, only to stop.

The reason was because of the woman standing before him. She was tall and beautiful, with black hair, gleaming red eyes, and a smile belonging to a serial killer. She was garbed in a black toga, and her smile seemed to brighten at seeing Markus.

The son of Poseidon knew instantly that this was a goddess. Her aura seemed chaotic, and her eyes had a gleam of madness to them. He frowned. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Now, now. Isn't that a bit rude?" the goddess asked, a hand on her heart. "I'm hurt. And after all the time I've invested into wanting to meet you."

"Markus, what-oh." Katie paused, standing up to stand by him as she looked at the goddess. "Uh..."

"Aw, am I interrupting your fucking?" she questioned crudely, smiling widely. "If you want, I can wait for you to finish before coming back. You look to wired up."

"Who. Are. You?" Markus repeated, gritting his teeth as bloodlust seeped into the air. Katie shivered at the feeling, while the goddess had a pleased expression on her face.

"Ah, such wonderful bloodlust," she sighed happily. "Well, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Eris."

"The goddess of chaos, discord and strife?" Katie questioned, shocked.

"That's the one!" Eris chirped happily. "Now, while I love meeting new people and starting wonderful fights, I'm here to meet lover boy here."

"For what exactly?" Markus questioned. He knew next to nothing about Eris, but he wagered that she wasn't here for anything good.

"Just a little chat! Honest! Cross my heart and hope to... well, not die. Obviously!" she cackled, not bothered by Markus' hostility.

Katie looked at Markus worriedly, then looked towards the goddess. "How do we know that you're actually going to keep your word?" she questioned, faltering a bit at the question, yet still standing firm. Markus was glad to see her act like this. She must have somehow gotten his brass balls attached.

"Ugh, you mortals and your stupid 'caution'," Eris grumbled. "Why can't you act like the simple-minded ones? Makes things much easier. Fine, I swear on the River Styx that I'm not going to attack or do harm to Markus Henderson." The sky rumbled from her oath. "There. Happy?"

Calming down slightly, Markus placed a hand on her shoulder. "Katie, it's okay."

"But-" "Don't worry," he assured, smiling at her. "I can handle myself. Go, please."

Frowning at him, she eventually relented. "Fine." She glared at Eris. "If you do anything to him, I'm going to make you regret it dearly. Goddess or not." With that, she walked away, leaving the two alone.

Eris whistled, watching her go. "Damn. You got a real spitfire there! I usually make most mortals who do that get smote."

"Don't do that," Markus said, looking at her warily.

Eris waved away the concern. "Oh, don't worry. I'm actually liking this one. Got fire to her, pretty freaky if your earlier actions were of any indication, plus..." Eris' eyes gleamed as she grinned. "She had a nice ass."

"Stay away from her," Markus growled, feeling both angered and confused. He had never had to warn off any women from going after his girlfriends. Guys, obviously. A quick death glare and they were sent scampering away. But women? The idea never entered his head. He didn't know what to do.

The goddess rolled her eyes. "Me dammit, possessive are we? But enough about her. I'm here for _you."_

"And what exactly do you want to talk to me about?" Markus asked. Eris waved her hand, making two chairs appear before her. She sat down, gesturing for him to do the same.

"Why, to meet the great Markus Henderson!" she exclaimed, eyes glowing with a malicious light. "I'm a big fan of your work."

"So, you got a bone to pick with the Olympians as well, huh?" Markus enquired, curious. He had never actually gotten thanks for slaying the gods. Fear, yes. Hate, absolutely. Respect? Only from a select few. Thanks? That was a new one.

Eris shook her head. "Oh, no. While those pissants were annoying, I personally had no beef with them. I am glad that you killed most of them. Zeus and Hera, especially. That's _bound_ to cause chaos for many people. Though I am pissed that you only killed like, what, four Olympians. Seriously? If you're going to be called a God Slayer, at least finish the job properly."

"I only killed those who personally annoyed me," Markus responded, a knowing look on his face. "So, you're a fan of me because I killed the Olympians, thereby causing a lot of panic and chaos?"

"Absolutely!" she responded cheekily. "Oh, and giving the middle finger to the Fates."

"How do you know that?" Markus asked, confused. The only people he had told about that were Poseidon, Percy, Thalia, Zoe and Adria.

Eris shrugged. "I could sense the cracks in the order of fate as you went on your little quest to save the spoiled prude. I can sense any break in order when I want to. And you've been making a _lot_ of them. Demons, fallen angels, demigods outside of our pantheon..." She had an ecstatic expression on her face. "You are officially my favourite demigod. And don't worry, your little secrets are safe with me. If anyone knew, then there'd be an equal chance that the chaos could either continue or get stopped. I'd like it if there was _no_ chance of it being stopped."

"Glad for the small mercies," Markus muttered, frowning. Eris knew too much. While he was positive that she wouldn't tell anyone - if only for her own amusement - the fact that his very moves, enemies and actions were known to someone that he didn't trust irritated him. "I assume that you didn't come to me to fangirl over my actions."

"Well, yes. But there was another thing," Eris admitted. "The council of the minor gods would like to thank you for helping them get cabins dedicated to them."

"The council of minor gods?" Markus questioned.

"Think of it like our own version of the Olympians. Though, rather than twelves gods, we have a bunch of minor gods who band together, where we talk and deal with our own shit."

"And I assume that no one knows about this?" Markus asked, intrigued. He didn't even know there was a council for minor gods. It made sense, in a way. The minor gods were treated poorly by a good majority of the Olympians and campers. They previously didn't have any cabins at Olympus, and were given no seat upon the Olympian council. So, it'd make sense that they'd do things their own way.

"Nope. Guess that makes you special!"

"I'm overjoyed," Markus responded sarcastically. "Look at the utter excitement on my face."

"Oh, don't be like that." Eris leaned in close, grinning. "How about you come with me, spread a little bit of chaos? Destroy a Titan stronghold, storm Olympus again and kill a couple of gods? Come on?"

Markus leaned back. "Lady, I'm taken already. No need to try and get into my pants. And I don't do that kind of stuff on a whim."

"You say that like that's stopped gods before." Here, Markus got uncomfortable as she stepped towards him, seeming to undress him with her eyes. Usually, Markus wouldn't mind this kind of attention from the right people. But, when Eris looked at him like that, he felt very uncomfortable. "And please. Everything you do practically screws the natural order of things. You meddling with things that aren't Greek has caused a chain effect that has sent _ripples_ throughout our world."

Eris had what looked to be an orgasmic look on her face as she continued. "Your alteration with fate. The upcoming war with the Titans. The butchering of most of the Olympians. Interacting with different gods. Everything you've done has practically screwed the natural order of things. Not even Apollo can see what the future holds. So... _beautiful."_

Markus was getting slightly scared at the expression on her face. Not to mention his actions being brought to light. It was similar to what Nereus had told him and the others, about how his actions had caused the path to the future to be even murkier than before.

She sighed, stepping back. "I wish I had gotten to you first before Hecate could sink her fangs into you. Alas, I can still admire from afar. And I got to say." She grinned. "I'm enjoying the view." Her wiggling eyebrows made it extremely difficult to determine whether she was talking about him or his chaotic path.

"Well, I'll be off. I've gotten a better mental image now that I've met you. The council of the minor gods won't hesitate to come to your aid, if need be. Also, make sure that you call for me specifically. I'd drop _everything_ for you." She purred at the word 'everything', making shivers run down Markus' spine. "Tata!"

She disappeared in a burst of energy, the smell of sulfer seeming to have been left behind.

Markus sighed to himself. "Great. I have a godly fangirl obsessed with me. Curse my dashing good looks and pure badassery." He spun around to walk away. "I just hope that neither of the girls find out."

 **XXX**

Markus was now applying several runes and counter runes upon Thalia's tree, as well as placing several barriers across Half-Blood Hill. He had commanded his speed clones to carve runes into several areas upon the hill to create a chain reaction, allowing the runes to work together to form and strengthen the already formed barrier.

Cracking his neck, Markus set about putting on the finishing touches. "Let's see. The runes create an energy field that would cause a destructive interference with the camp's own. The energy waves produced by my own will destroy both fields, given that they would interfere with a phase angle of π and not the multiple of 2π required for a constructive interference. So..." Markus kept on muttered to himself as he used his magic to inscribe the runes upon the barriers.

"If their out of phase, the required energy field necessary would have the opposite effect in keeping us in rather than allowing it for us to do that as well as go out. So, pushing the phase angle to 3π/2 would give..."

Activating the rune at a particular angle and with the sufficient energy, Markus watched as the barrier started to form from the corresponding linked runes set up around Half-Blood Hill. Pretty soon, a clear-coloured barrier had formed, keyed in to Markus' own magic as well as the camp's natural magic reserves.

He smiled inspecting his work. "All done."

"And just in time, too," Lou Ellen commented as she walked up beside him. She hummed. "Good work. You managed to get it set up. What about all those runes involved?" She looked to Thalia's tree, in which all of the Norse and Egyptian magic coated. This time, however, it was surrounded by a circle of Greek runes and fūinjutsu, along with different kanji that confused the runes. Mainly the Arhain rune. Instead of having the rune activate for stealth and silence, Markus had written fūinjutsu to seal its effects, as well as turn it back onto the other runes placed, silencing their own effects.

"Took care of them," Markus commented, cracking his body. "So... barrier and runes taken care of. What next?"

"Now, it's time for training." With a nod, the two walked to the training area. The demigods and Chiron agreed that they needed to step up their game. They were taken by surprise with the fact that it was mortals that attacked them. A lot of campers agreed on the fact that, if it weren't for Markus, they'd all likely be dead. So, they all agreed to train in preparation of that.

Many campers felt angry. Furious, even. Kronos had ordered mortals to invade their camp and kill some of their siblings. He was changing the game. It was time that they did so too. A lot of children of Ares had gone up to Chiron, questioning the fact that they weren't allowed to harm mortals. The centaur was reluctant to give a definite answer. Seeing this, many campers got enraged.

They argued that, since Kronos wasn't playing fair, why should they? And while Chiron understood that, the very idea went against what he was supposed to teach. Seeing that the centaur was at crossroads with himself, the demigods decided to take matters into their own hands.

The children of Hephaestus had dug up a massive amount of celestial bronze, something that their father had sent to them upon prayer. Markus pitched in by using alchemy to transmute the bronze to mortal steel, allowing the forgers to smelt it and start mixing it with all and any weapon available.

The demigods then split up into several branches, each one taking a specific role: Markus was the combat instructor, taking a few of them for martial arts, including the ins and outs of fighting both cleanly and dirty. Percy was sword instructor, Annabeth was the tactical instructor (though, she initially dubbed herself 'Supreme Commander', which was quickly shot down), Thalia the spear instructor, and Will the archery instructor.

With that out of the way, they had then deemed to divide themselves into squads, or groups for lack of a better term. Each group had a specific skill or speciality that allowed them to be designated to said squad. Each squad was either given a Greek letter or term, for a specific reason. The group was divided as follows:

Squad Alpha were the Big Three children: Percy, Thalia, Nico and Bianca. Due to obvious reasons, they were the most powerful of demigods, made as a team that constantly worked together, knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses. And while the children of Hades weren't as powerful as Percy and Thalia, their primary ability to make an undead army pop out made them invaluable at the forefront.

Squad Beta were the children of Athena and Ares. While initially they often clashed due to differing ideals, they were able to put that to the side and work together. The squad was put together for the simple reason: Athena children being the brain and Ares children the brawn. Not to mention, they were all children of war, and were able to not only fight more efficiently than most demigods, but able to plan accordingly to certain situations with frightening ease.

Squad Gamma were the children of Aphrodite and Demeter. An odd combo, if ever there was one. More odd than Squad Beta. Still, once they had ironed out the kinks (by that, Silena had whipped all of them into shape and took a stand, crushing any resistance easily) they had managed to work well together. They were put together mainly for the use of their gifts: charmspeak and plant-growth. The children of Demeter could grow shrubs and entire forests when pushed, either creating a sort of barrier, or producing varying types of plants. Many of which were poisonous. And while Katie was the most powerful, that didn't stop others from trying to replicate her powers, with a great amount of progress.

Children of Aphrodite also had an extreme added advantage: their charmspeak, fabrikinesis and extreme beauty. While only a select few could charmspeak, the others made use of their ability to alter clothing, which - when investigated - also lead to armour. While a seemingly useless gift, it was actually rather intriguing in combat. During mock spars, Lacy - a young daughter of Aphrodite - was able to squeeze the armour of several children of Ares and Hephaestus, making them choke slightly. She quickly apologised, turning them back to normal.

So fabrikinesis was actually quite useful. Many children of Aphrodite could make armour either more tighter or looser, distracting monsters and enemy demigods to give them the fatal blow. Another particular use was that they could make enemies extremely uncomfortable while in armour, either changing its proportions or making it unbearable for some to wear.

Squad Delta had the children of Hermes and Hephaestus. Their main purpose was to use their speed, cunning and expertise to their advantage. Once either squad was deployed, they were able to speed in, either taking advantage using their speed, or using shock-and-awe tactics, leaving some wide open. Beckendorf and Jake Mason were put to work in building weapons, like Greek fire bombs, caltrops or hook-chains for their squad members to use. Travis and Conner Stoll added their own input, making some shiver at the combined madness they were about to unleash.

Squad Epsilon housed the Apollo cabin. Only a select few were to be put on the battlefield, while others were put aside for healing purposes. Will was decided to be put on the forefront on battle due to him being one of the more powerful demigods of Apollo, despite his extreme medical expertise.

Squad Theta had Castor, Pollux, and a couple of children of Hypnos, Morpheus and Eris. They weren't mainly put together for battle. In fact, they wouldn't even be deployed fully for fighting. In the case of them capturing any monsters, demigods, and/or immortals, their jobs were to gather intel from said category. Castor and Pollux for their madness powers, Hypnos children due to them being able to lull their targets into a deep sleep, Morpheus' children following up and entering their dreams to get the info, while Eris' children were used for torture. There were only two children of Eris, Michael and Susan. However, they were more than enough, as they seemed to have inherited their mother's absolute glee for causing chaos and spreading madness.

The 'Mystic' Squad (something that was put forth due to Lou) was, obviously, the children of Hecate. Their magical heritage and skill were used for a number of things, including information-gathering, spying, destruction, healing, etc. They were a jack-of-all-trades squad that were vitally important, and was either sent on the battlefield, or stuck at homebase for different skills. They were right up there with Squad Alpha's and Beta's speciality in power and effectiveness, while also on the level of Squad Gamma.

That, of course, left the last 'squad', and obviously the most dangerous and most powerful one: Squad Omega. Though, instead of a designated cabin, Markus was given that role and title. Simply due to one reason; he was the most powerful demigod at camp. And while he had the traits of all the other squads, his best speciality was destruction. He was sent in as a last resort, either to fight powerful Titans, gods or monsters.

Other demigods didn't fit the role due to either being too young, or not being strong enough to fight.

Now, each demigod was in their designated position and role, training harshly and running through either skills, roles, ploys and ideas. As Markus was barking orders and instructing different demigods how to fight, he had a simple thought in his mind. _You want a war, Kronos? We'll give you a fucking war. And by the time we're done..._ Markus started to strike out, using his combat expertise to take down each demigod, pointing out their flaws and mistakes. ... _you're going to_ wish _you had stayed in a million pieces in Tartarus._

 **XXX**

Markus walked towards the central hearth, looking to talk to someone specifically. That someone came into view, in her usual form of a nine year old girl in a simple brown dress. Her fiery eyes, usually so bright and warm, were slightly dimmed.

"Auntie," Markus spoke, sitting beside her. He frowned, seeing Hestia's face not light up as usual.

"Markus," she simply said, a tight smile on her face. It was silent between the two, the demigod feeling slightly uncomfortable. Admittedly, it had been a while since he'd talked with Hestia, and he did feel quite bad about that. Though, he could tell the reason behind her sad demeanour. So, he decided to just be blunt. "You know, Zeus had it coming..." Seeing her flinch a little, Markus was tempted to stop. But he had to continue.

"Auntie, I... I know you're hurting. But Zeus forced my hand. You know how I am, not willing to give in to any demands-" "I know the reason why you did it," Hestia interrupted, tears building up in her eyes. Markus honestly felt like shit at the sight. The very idea of hurting Hestia literally made him feel like he'd kicked a puppy. Take into account her nine year old form, and it multiplied his feelings by ten.

"And while Olympus does its best to move past the death of its queen and previous king," she continued, molten tears streaming down her face, "my family is in turmoil. Despite his misgivings, Zeus was close to all of the council. You defeating and killing many of the gods has them struck in fear of you. Their terrified, knowing that death has never been such a worrisome thing for them. That no one was powerful enough to challenge them. Yet, you came, and broke that circle."

Markus frowned a little. "Auntie, while I get where you're coming from, you can't tell me that Zeus' death didn't produce better results-" Hestia gave him a small glare, and he paused, more surprised than actually intimidated.

"He was my brother," she said lowly, anger building up in her eyes. "Hera was my sister. No matter the justification you give, it can't heal the pain in my heart."

"Your _brother_ was an arrogant, paranoid joke of a king, who bullied others into doing his bidding," Markus retorted, not willing to deal with her anger. "And your _sister_ was a cruel bitch, who couldn't think of confronting Zeus, and so took the coward's way out and decided to attacking his children and lovers. Your siblings they may be, that doesn't mean that they're good people. They were going to get what was coming to them."

"And you think killing them was going to just make things better?" the goddess questioned, pain written across her face.

"They've had thousands of years to clean up their act. I figured killing them would get the message across."

"They were my family!" Hestia argued loudly, the hearth roaring loudly beside her. "Yes, they had major flaws, but that didn't mean-"

"But nothing," Markus interrupted, frowning. "You can't just say 'they're family' and turn a blind eye to what they've done. And while Hera was in the way, Zeus deserved to die. I pretty much did everyone a favour by killing him."

"You mean you did yourself a favour," Hestia retorted bitterly, making Markus narrow his eyes. "You didn't kill Zeus because of his flaws, you killed him because of your own selfish need to heal your pride. You couldn't leave him and Olympus alone. You had to kill and threaten them. Because of your wrath. Because you couldn't control yourself."

"Stop," Markus whispered, now angry.

"Your anger destroys things. It kills whatever crosses your path. First Heracles, then Ares, then Dionysus, then Zeus and Hera. Then the destruction of Olympus."

"Stop it now."

"You say my brother is arrogant, cruel and paranoid, bullying others into doing what he wants." Hestia's fiery glare locked onto his eyes. "Yet, those traits ring strongly in you. You're a hypocrite. You're the exact replica of Zeus. From where I'm standing, you're the one that's the monster _."_

Markus snapped, shrouded in a partial God Trigger. His aura exploded, destroying the ground under him and affecting the weather. Thunder boomed loudly, destroying the sky with sound as lightning flashed near the two. He chuckled darkly, and Hestia felt a cold shiver at the chuckle. "You know what? I find it hilarious at you painting me as some sort of hypocrite, as a monster, when _you_ yourself should be called as such."

He glared at her with such cold intensity that she flinched. "If you want to know who's responsible, take a look around you at your so-called family. They have created more enemies than they have children running around, both in this camp and out of it.

"But if you want to know who's the bigger monster between us, it's you. Let me ask you something, _goddess."_ She flinched at how he addressed her. "What's more evil, the people who commit evil deeds or the good people that do nothing to stop them? For years, your _family_ has treated the earth and humans as little more than play things, doing whatever the hell they want. To be honest, while they may be some good gods, they all act like spoilt children, who're only now cleaning up their act. But why did _I_ to be the one to do it? Why not you? You are the elder Olympian, the older sister. And yet, you've done nothing but sit on your ass all this time, _watching!"_

Thunderclaps seemed to resonate from his voice as the earth shook, scaring all the residents. "You complain at how you're siblings are dead, and yet are so _ignorant_ of what they've done. Who they've killed and raped. You don't stop them when you're clearly the more powerful out of all of them. Yet, all you do is sit there, like an observer. Watching and waiting.

"I may have some of the qualities that Zeus has, and I did kill most of the Olympians for selfish reasons, but at least I _did something._ I put an end to their tyrannical ways, and made them change for the better. I did more in roughly _ten minutes_ than you've done in _millennia._ No, Hestia. From that alone, _you're the one that's the monster."_

Tears ran down Hestia's face as she held her hand to her mouth in horror. Markus glared at her, fury blazing in his eyes. He could feel the presence of the other campers, but he didn't care.

"Leave," he said simply. "Before I do something that I'll regret. Or, as that another _evil_ deed that I'm so famous for committing?"

Hestia was silent, tears still falling from her eyes. Head bowed, she flashed away.

Not paying any heed to the crowd behind him, Markus stood up and dashed out of camp, doing his best to control his anger.

 **XXX**

Markus didn't look at where he was going. He simply moved. While in motion, he did his best to calm his mind down.

 _Don't blow up, don't blow up, don't blow up..._ Markus chanted in his head. His boiling anger diminished slightly, his mind and body on autopilot. After what seemed to be hours to him, he skidded to a stop, eyes closed.

 _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale... okay, I don't feel like blowing up._ Markus sighed deeply, eyes open. He didn't want to think about his confrontation with Hestia. He was bound to get angry again, which would lead to catastrophic events. So, he decided to look at where he was. He found that he was in Boston. The reason that he knew was because he was standing in front of the odd duck statue. He chuckled, still feeling that the thing was stupid.

Just as he was about to turn back once his mind was calm, he felt multiple presences behind him. He quickly moved out of the way of several spears that had pierced where he previously stood. He whipped around, Wavebreaker out in a flash as he stared at the scene before him. "What the fuck?"

Two hundred yards away from him, he saw some weird women, dressed in what looked to be Viking armour. They looked beautiful and powerful, clear signs that they seemed to have some kind of blessing to them. Each of them slung glowing spears over their shoulders as they glared at Markus. The one in the front was a very muscled girl with blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and what looked to be a hammer around her neck.

"I'm being strongly reminded of Artemis' bitches," he remarked, sword raised. "And that's not a good thing." He knew that these girls weren't Greek, as they had a different flavour to them.

"Surrender, Leviathan!" the blonde girl remarked, spear raised. "Or suffer for your crimes against Asgard!"

"... Well, shit," Markus commented, the girl confirming his thoughts. "So... I'm dealing with the Norse. Admittedly, a bit earlier than what I expected."

"It is as she said, Leviathan," a male voice spoke, making Markus tense. In a flash, a beam of light shot down in front of the group of girls, blinding Markus for a bit. When his sight returned, he saw who had appeared. And judging by his power and weapon, Markus had an idea as to who this person was.

He was barrel-chested, his massive frame held together in similar Viking armour as the girls, only his was gold, and looked more royal. He had close-cropped hair, with a well cut beard on his weathered face. His right eye was a dark blue, while his left eye was covered by an eyepatch. A glowing white spear was held in his hand, which glowed with power.

"Surrender, or suffer for your theft from the halls of Asgard," Odin, the All-Father, uttered, his eye glaring at Markus with anger.

 _... One thing. I wanted one thing today,_ Markus complained mentally, looking for peace. Instead, he had an angry All-Father and his band of Valkyries. _Fan-fucking-tastic._

 **And CUT! Golly gosh, it's been a while since I've been at Arcane Chaos.**

 **I end chapters on a _lot_ of cliffhangers, now that I think about it. Which is weird, since I hate cliffhangers myself. Seriously, that's _not_ cool.**

 **Anywho, hope y'all liked the chapter. Hope to get back into the groove of things. Really sorry for those who waited for the upcoming chapter.**

 **I've upped the stakes in the story, as it seemed obviously appropriate. The Oracle's destruction, the increased willingness and anger in the demigods' actions and strategies, the involvement of Egyptian and Norse elements, etc. And before anyone jumps to conclusions, Kronos doesn't have allies in both pantheons. How he got access to Norse and Egyptian magic... well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **Also, Markus and Hestia had their spat. It's something that I've wanted to put down, since Hestia is obviously not happy at Zeus' and Hera's death, along with all of the other stuff Markus' actions have caused. Unfortunately, she doesn't express it very well. They'll rekindle things again, but I feel like she'd have some sadness and grief to get over.**

 **And next chapter's gonna be fun to write. The Norse I went with first because it was much more easier for me to write. Stay tuned.**

 **Now, Guest review time:**

 **1) True, but it is kinda hard. And yes, Markus will realise that he's not the biggest fish in the sea, and _will_ be humbled upon meeting characters who could easily kill him with the tiniest of effort. And he gained the title mostly because god-slaying (even if said gods are weak) has never been done before. So, it's part fear, part mocking.**

 **2) Thank you very much for defending me.**

 **3) Also thank you**

 **4) And thank _you._**

 **Well, with that out of the way. I bid you all adieu. Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Also, I'm super grateful that the follows and favs hit over a thousand a long-ass time ago. I'm so glad, and I love y'all for the support. Seriously, I feel like I should've cried, but I held it in.**

 **Read and Review!**


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